Five facts about unsustainable waste management in Singapore

Under Singapore's National Recycling Programme, the government provides commingled recycling bins to all residential estates where glass, ... 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TrashcollectedduringtheEastCoastBeachPlancleanupinSingapore.Image:TrangChuMinh https://eb.news/NvG9zntfRK6A Copy By TrangChuMinh 4minuteread Jan.11,2021 Singaporeisrenownedforitsefficiency,cleanlinessandcountlessinnovationsmadeinsustainablebuildingdesign,orenergyandwaterefficiency. Yetdespiteaimingtobecomea‘ZeroWasteNation’andinvestingheavilyinwastemanagement,theislandstatefaresquiteweaklywhenitcomestoresponsibleresourcerecovery. 1.MostofSingapore’strashisincinerated Singaporedisposesofmuchofitswastethroughwaste-to-energyinitiatives—ofthewhopping7.23milliontonnesofsolidwastegeneratedin2019,morethan40percentwasincinerated. AccordingtotheNationalEnvironmentAgency(NEA),incinerationreduceswastebyupto90percent,savinglandfillspace,andtheheatrecoveredproducessteamusedtogenerateelectricity.  InthewordsoftherecentlyappointedMinisterforSustainabilityandtheEnvironment,GraceFu,Singaporeisnot“inahurry”tobanplasticbagsbecauseitburnswastetoproduceenergy.  Waste-to-energyinitiativesare,however,notsustainableinthelongrun: Peoplearenotcompelledtoconserveenergywhentheyaremisledtobelievethattheirelectricitycomesfrom‘greensources’.Inaddition,waste-to-energyonlyaccountsfor3percentofSingapore’selectricityneeds. Theyprovidenoincentivestoreducewastevolumesorencourageresponsiblerecycling.Singaporehasextremelylowrecyclingrates,andcreatesmassivewastevolumesforsuchasmallcity-state. Resourcesarelostandwasted,creatingunnecessarydemandforvirginmaterials. Theycouldstifleinnovationinwastemanagement,includingupcyclingwasteintoother,higher-valueproductsbesideselectricity,orhinderthetransitiontomorerenewableenergysources. Incinerationtypicallyleadstoincreasedcarbonemissionsandairpollution,andcouldpotentiallyposeahealthhazard,althoughexpertsfromtheNEAclaimsthatSingapore’swaste-to-energytechnologyisenvironmentallyandhealth-friendly. Sincemosttrashisincinerated,plasticalternativesoftentoutedasbiodegradablemaynotbemoreenvironmentally-friendlyinSingapore’scontextastheywouldeitherrequireaspecialindustryfacilitytobeprocessed,orwouldneedtobeleftinthelandfilltodegrade. 2.Recyclingratesareextremelylow,andmuchofitisexported Despiteawareness-raisingcampaignstoencouragea3R(reduce,reuseandrecycle)mindset,anddesignating2019asa‘Yeartowardszerowaste’,Singapore’sdomesticrecyclingratedroppedfrom22percentin2018to17percentin2019–only4percentofplasticand18percentoffoodisrecycledinthecity-state. MostofSingapore’srecyclingisexportedabroadforprocessing,includingAustralia,China,India,Indonesia,Malaysia,SouthKoreaorThailand.However,recentgovernmentdecisionsbycountrieslikeChinaorIndonesiatocuttheirimportedwastemeansthatanincreasingamountofSingapore’srecyclabletrashendsupbeingincinerated.  Accordingtomanyindustryexperts,runningadomesticrecyclingoperationinSingaporeisnotfinanciallyfeasible,andthereislittletransparencyonwhathappenswiththeexportedrecyclables. 3.40percentoftrashplacedintorecyclingbinsarecontaminated,andthusincinerated Thereisalsolimitedawarenessandeducationonthedosanddon’tsofrecycling,andmanyarenotconsciousthatarecyclableitemhastobewashedorrinsedtoavoidliquidorfoodcontamination. Accordingtoa2018studybytheSingaporeEnvironmentCouncil(SEC),70percentofrespondentsdidnotfullyknowwhichitemswereconsideredrecyclable. UnderSingapore’sNationalRecyclingProgramme,thegovernmentprovidescommingledrecyclingbinstoallresidentialestateswhereglass,plastic,paperandmetalarecollectedtogether,whichfurtherincreasestheriskofcontaminationifconsumersdonotrecyclecorrectly. TheNEAhaspublishedahelpfullistofwhatshouldandshouldnotbeplacedinrecyclingbins,andinwhatcondition–thisdocumentshouldbepromotedaseverySingaporeanhousehold’srecyclingbible. 4.Singapore’soneandonlylandfillisprojectedtoreachcapacityby2035 Incineratedashandnon-incinerablewastearedepositedtoSemakauLandfill—thecity-state’ssolelandfill—whichisprojectedtorunoutofspaceby2035,orevenearliergiventhespikeinwastegenerationamidtheCovid-19pandemic.  Thisfurtherincreasestheurgencytoimprovesustainablewastemanagementandresourcerecoveryattheregulatoryandindustrial,aswellastheconsumerandhouseholdlevels.  5.ExtendedProducerResponsibility(EPR)keytomoreresponsiblewastemanagement Asaglimmerofhope,theparliamentpassedtheResourceSustainabilityBillin2019whichaimstointroduceSoutheastAsia’sfirstExtendedProducerResponsibility(EPR)law,essentiallyholdingfirmsaccountablefortheresponsibledisposalofpost-consumerwaste. Measuresincludemandatoryreportingforcompaniesthatproduceorusepackaging,andextendingEPRfore-wasteby2021,foodwasteby2024,andpackagingby2025. ContinuedinvestmentinupcyclinginnovationswillbeequallycrucialtotacklingSingapore’swastemanagementproblems. Lastyear,thegovernmenthasalsoopenedanewwastemanagementplantwhichaimstoconvertwasteintonotjustelectricity,butalsoconstructionmaterials,andisslatedtoeventuallybeabletotreatmedicalandotherformsofhazardouswaste. Inaddition,constructionhasbegunforthefirstintegratedwaterandsolidwastetreatmentfacilitywhichwillenabletheco-digestionoffoodwasteandusedwatersludgetoboostelectricitygeneration. Didyoufindthisarticleuseful?Helpuskeepourjournalismfreetoread. Wehaveateamofjournalistsdedicatedtoprovidingindependent,well-researchedstoriesfromaroundtheregiononthetopicsthatmattertoyou.ConsidersupportingourbrandofpurposefuljournalismwithadonationandkeepEco-Businessfreeforalltoread.Thankyou. 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