Old hose pipes used by fire-fighters need not die; they can be repurposed and start a new life as dog toys. That has happened in Singapore.
Recently, Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) personnel from the Changi Fire Station repurposed old firefighting hose pipes as dog toys — creating bone-shaped chewy toys — and handed them over to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Singapore chapter (SPCA Singapore).
A post on the Facebook page of the Singapore Civil Defence Force announced the toy donation by the Changi Fire Station. The post, marked by a happy dog emoji, said: “The material of these fire hoses [is] extremely durable and versatile. After years of keeping flames at bay, hoses which have reached the end of their operational lifespan are decommissioned and will now be sparking joy in the lives of our furry, four-legged pals!”
Among those in the Facebook photograph were Aarthi Sankar, Executive Director of SPCA, and AC Anthony Toh, Director, Logistics Department, SCDF.
Three photos of SCDF personnel and SPCA Singapore personnel, published on Facebook, were followed by a cheerful video, which showed a male dog named Pika playing with one of the chewy toys created with decommissioned fire hoses.
“This is part of SCDF’s commitment to environmental sustainability, where fire hoses have been donated to several organisations such as Wildlife Reserves Singapore and SEA Aquarium as part of similar upcycling projects,” said the post, outlining the connection between this chewy toy donation and the larger effort of waste reduction.
‘Reduce, reuse, recycle’ — the three Rs of sustainable practices — also include the act of upcycling, a form of recycling that combines utility and creativity, finding a new purpose for something old.
In its Facebook post, Singapore civil defence emphasised on its intentions: “SCDF will continue to embrace sustainability efforts in our course of work and explore more ways to contribute to [an] eco-friendly, paw-some future! (paw print emoji and Earth emoji).”
Reporting on this dog toy donation, the Singapore publication Mothership said that decommissioned SCDF fire hoses had earlier been upcycled as toys and beds for animals at the Mandai Wildlife Reserve in Singapore, and also as climbing environment material for orangutans in Indonesia.
