Recycling of food waste in Singapore
January 15, 2008 by Eugene
Filed under Asia, Singapore, Waste and Materials
What is the current status on the recycling of food waste in Singapore? Currently, a local company recycles soya bean waste, spent grains and spent yeast into animal feed. A local food waste treatment plant was also set up last year to turn food waste from food courts, hotels and factories into compost and biogas.
In addition, a local non-profit organisation, Food from the Heart, collects unsold bread and pastries from bakeries and hotels and distributes them to welfare organisations, needy families and individuals (not really considered as recycling but reduces food waste nonetheless).
We are not sure what happens to the unsold, expired or soon-to-be expired food products in supermarkets and retail shops. There are a few possibilities:
- Disposed and sent to the incineration plants
- Sold at a cheaper price before the expiry date to clear stock
- Donated before the expiry date to schools, charitable organisations or anyone who wants them
- Recycled (we don’t think this is happening now): the food is sent to recycling plants for composting or digestion to produce biogas, and the food packaging (plastics, paper and metal cans) is recycled
From the 2006 waste data for Singapore, the recycling rate for food waste is only 8% and there is more room for improvement. For a start, we can learn from Japan and Korea.
In Korea, campaigns and policies have increased the food recycling rate to 81% in 2004 (Green Korea 2006 report). In Japan, there is a Food Waste Recycling Law that requires businesses and consumers to take responsibility for the reduction of food waste. Some retail stores have also implemented food waste recycling programmes (see article below from Japan for Sustainability).
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Convenience Store Chain Establishing a System to Recycle 100% of its Unsold Food
Seven & i Holdings Co., the parent company of the major convenience store chain Seven-Eleven Japan Co., started turning its food waste into animal feed on September 1, 2007, in cooperation with Agri Gaia System Co., a company specializing in food recycling. By the end of July 2007, Seven & i Holdings had already implemented the system of composting food waste from about 1,600 stores, or about 14 percent of all its stores. The company intends to raise this to roughly 2,350, or 20 percent, of its stores by the end of February 2008 (this does not include recycling of oil waste).
The two companies have been working on composting unsold food products collected from approximately 1,000 Seven-Eleven stores in Tokyo’s 23 wards since 2003. Seven-Eleven and Ito-Yokado Co., another company of the Seven & i Holdings group, have been selling watermelons and spinach grown using the compost made from the group’s waste food products. Under the new system, outdated food products such as packed lunches and delicatessen foods, collected under refrigeration once a day from stores by Seven-Eleven’s original waste collecting system, called the “eco distribution system,” which was established in 1994, are to be recycled fully by being processed into animal feed.
The waste food products will be sorted at Agri Gaia System’s recycling feed mill. Materials suitable for animal feed will be processed, while others will be composted or processed into methane gas to be used as supplementary fuel for the mill. Plastic food trays will be incinerated as an auxiliary fuel. Seven-Eleven intends to sell packed lunches and prepared food containing pork and poultry raised on the feed produced by this new recycling system.
Source credit: Japan for Sustainability. Image attribution: quotlumen.
For more tips on how to reduce, reuse and recycle your waste, visit the Zero Waste Singapore website.
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A franchise company operating cafes selling food and buns in Malaysia throw away unsold products 3 days before their expiry to maintain their standard for freshness.
hello dear
i have read your article about the soya bean waste recycle,and i would trully apreciate it if you would help me get somemore infos like the sources that they collect thier soya bean waste from,and what other food waste sources are available in big quantitys in singapore and malaysia
please accept my regards
thank you
essam
+6590093919
+60197793919
Do any of you think that the typical HDB dweller in Singapore is ready to recycle food waste, particularly plant matter, from their kitchen into compost? This could reduce landfill by at least 25%, I think.
Unfortunately, the rubbish chutes are so conveniently located in their kitchen right now. What would it take for them to change their habit?
Hi Chai Joo,
My fiance and I live in HDB and we have recently started to compost our raw kitchen food scraps and household wastes (e.g. newspapers, cardboard boxes etc)
It is actually possible! And we are really happy and excited with the results. We created our own compost bins for under $20, and we are planning to create our own vermicomposting bins (using worms to compost) soon!
Also, what motivated us was how we could “save money” by turning the waste into compost for our herb plants (e.g. pandan leaf plant, lime plant, curry leaf plant etc). Alternatively, we are more than happy to give our compost away to neighbours who are currently growing plants. This beats the feeling of throwing all huge amount of trash that could actually be of use. It allows us to actively and satisfactorily play a part in reducing pollution at incinerators and landfills too.
I guess what’s hindering Singaporeans from composting/recycling their food and household wastes is the lack of information, education, resources and awareness. That’s why my fiance and I have been so inspired to start our blog, sharing our composting experience, all relevant resources that have been useful to us, and how easy composting actually is!
If you’re keen, do follow our composting updates on our blog at http://compostinginsingapore.wordpress.com
We’re always excited to share our experiences, and we welcome all comments and feedback! :)
Hi Essam, you may wish to contact the company, Eng Cheong Leong Agri Chem. Their contacts are available from this website – http://www.nea.gov.sg/cms/rcd/Local%20Recycling%20Plants.pdf
Hi Chai Joo, I think they must have a use for the compost. If not, they are unlikely to spend the time and effort to do the composting.
Dear sir,we are a munufacturor of food waste recycle machine designed by a famous korean professor who has made research in this field for several years.It can turn the foodwaste into animal’s feed after drying and fermenting.No odour and carbonization.We hope to cooperate with you in reducing pollution brought by food waste.
Hi , everybody
Food waste recycling is so new to me , can beans and shell be recycle too ?
Yes, bean and shell can be recycled too. A company called Biomax Technologies that is able to recycle almost any plant and food waste (note that some may require crushing first) into Natural Organic Fertiliser within 24hrs and the product is of high quality.
Hi, can you further elaborate on the process of food waste? Do you think it is possible to have certain system that can enable people to re-eat food? Like the system of Newater
Food that is still in good condition, like unsold bread and soon-to-expire food products can be given to the needy.
just to update your references.
http://eng.me.go.kr/content.do?method=moveContent&menuCode=pol_rec_sta_disposal
link to korean data on recycling, the link to the publication is dead
Thanks yihao for the link.