Written Reply to Parliamentary Question on Recycling Statistics

Question:

Mr Low Wu Yang Andre: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) for each year from 2019 to 2025, what quantities by weight collected through National Recycling Programme blue bins and recycling chutes were (i) sent onward for recycling and (ii) sent for incineration after sorting; and (b) how those quantities were measured.

Answer:

Recyclables collected in blue recycling bins and chutes under the National Recycling Programme (NRP) are sent to Materials Recovery Facilities, where they are sorted. By weight, around 40% are non-recyclable items that have been incorrectly deposited, or recyclables that have been contaminated by food and liquid residues. These unsuitable materials are disposed of at our waste-to-energy plants, while the remaining items are sent onward for recycling.

From 2019 to 2025, the average tonnage of recyclables collected and sent for recycling under the NRP was approximately 37,000 tonnes per year.