Waste Management

Campaigns such as #RecycleRight and Say Yes to Waste Less spread the importance of recycling and waste reduction. All HDB blocks have access to recycling bins. Waste collectors also encourage household recycling by introducing recycling incentive programmes.

Industrial waste form up to 40% of the total amount of waste we produce. Their efforts to reduce waste and recycle materials will bring us closer to our aims.

NEA licenses public waste collectors and general waste collectors to bring solid waste disposed to our Waste-to-Energy plants and the Semakau Landfill.

Illegal dumping of waste of any kind is a serious offence. It pollutes the environment and can be a hazard to public health.

As Singapore prepares for an increasingly carbon and resource constrained future, with limited space for waste disposal, we have to shift towards a circular economy where our resources can be used for as long and as many times as possible.

Under the Zero Waste Masterplan, we have set out Singapore’s strategies to sustainable waste management and close our resource loops. We have identified three priority waste streams: food waste; electronic waste (e-waste); and packaging waste, including plastics. These waste streams are generated in high amounts, with low recycling rates.

The Resource Sustainability Act puts in place a systems-level approach that mandates key responsibilities to enable re-use and recycling nation-wide. This sends economic signals to producers to take into account the cost of environmental externalities. It also encourages innovation and the redesigning of products that require less material, last longer and are more easily recycled.

Recycling is one way to minimise the amount of waste we create. Often, items are discarded without any thought to how they can be given a second life.

Singapore has only one landfill. Recycling is an important way of cutting down the amount of waste that goes into the landfill and reducing the cost of disposal.

We have had successes with certain waste streams, such as ferrous metals and construction and demolition materials, with near 100% recycling rates.

However, more can be done, particularly with increasing the recycling rates of our priority waste streams. Although awareness of recycling has improved among Singaporeans, the recycling rate remains low. The contamination of recyclables in collection bins adds further challenges. We will need everyone’s collective efforts in order to achieve our recycling rate target.

More than 80,000 blue recycling bins have been placed in HDB and landed estates across the island. Paper, plastic, glass and metal recyclables can be deposited into these bins. The mixed recyclables are collected by dedicated recycling trucks and sent to Materials Recovery Facilities for sorting. After sorting, the recyclable materials are sent to recycling facilities for further processing.

Since April 2018, all new non-landed private residential developments above four storeys are required to install dual chutes for refuse and recyclables. All condominiums have also been required to provide one recycling per block since August 2018.

We will continue to make recycling accessible to all residents.

In line with population and economic growth, the volume of waste produced has increased exponentially.

Without an efficient waste collection system in place, piles of rubbish would accumulate near homes and workplaces and create breeding grounds for pests and poses threats to public health.

Due to our hot and humid weather, organic waste rapidly decomposes and starts to smell unpleasant. On top of the discomfort, uncollected waste promotes the breeding of disease-carrying vectors, such as mosquitoes, in our environment.

To protect public health, waste generated has to be collected and disposed promptly and safely.

Today, there are now 3 public waste collection companies operating in 6 sectors, serving households and trade premises. Rights to manage waste are competitively tendered by these companies.

In addition, there are more than 300 approved general waste collectors that serve commercial and industrial premises.

Incineration Plants Cost Us Space And Money

Incineration converts waste to energy and reduces the volume of waste going to landfill. However, incineration plants are very expensive to build and operate. They also take up land space. We cannot keep building more incineration plants indefinitely.

Pollutants During Incineration

Pollutants, such as NOx, SO₂, dioxins and particulate matter, are produced in the process of incineration and they affect our air quality.

Tapping Private Sector Expertise

The Government increased private sector participation in the incineration industry. Singapore’s fifth incineration plant was built and operated by a private company through a Design, Build, Own and Operate arrangement.

Treating Pollutants Before Release Into The Environment

All incinerators in Singapore have been fitted or built with pollution control equipment to protect our air quality. The flue gas produced during incineration is treated to remove most of the pollutants in order to meet safe environmental standards before being released into the air.

Reducing Waste

NEA has been encouraging people and industries to reduce their waste, reuse where possible and increase their rate of recycling.

Incinerating Less Than Before

The reduction of waste and increase in recycling will also help to delay the building of new incineration plants. Instead of building one every 5-7 years, we can build one every 8-10 years.

Ash May Be Recycled Instead Of Landfilled

After the success of developing the use of incinerated bottom ash (IBA) for road material, NEA is exploring other uses for treated ash so as to extend the lifespan of our sole remaining landfill, Semakau.

As there is no available land for landfill on mainland Singapore, Semakau Landfill had to be created by enclosing 350 hectares of sea space between two offshore islands. Semakau Landfill opened on 1 April 1999 and is now the only one we have.

At current waste generation rates, Semakau Landfill will run out of space by around 2035.

Landfills require space. We have already used up large tracts of land on mainland Singapore, in various areas such as Choa Chu Kang, Lim Chu Kang and Lorong Halus.

The Semakau Landfill had to be constructed out of sea space due to our land constraints. It is difficult for Singapore to continually build landfills to handle our growing amount of waste. We need to look for more sustainable solutions to handle our waste.

The Zero Waste Masterplan sets a new waste reduction target for Singapore - to reduce the waste sent to Semakau Landfill each day by 30 per cent by 2030. This will help extend Semakau Landfill's lifespan beyond 2035.

Reduce Volume Of Waste By Incineration

Incinerable waste is sent to our four incineration plants, and the ashes end up at Semakau landfill.

Incineration can reduce waste volume by over 90%!

The excess heat energy produced contributes to about 3% of our electricity supply.

Prolonged Lifespan of Semakau Landfill

Through recycling and other waste minimisation efforts, we are progressively lengthening the lifespan of our last landfill.