General waste from commercial and industrial premises are collected by licensed general waste collectors and sent to the incineration plants or landfill. For commercial buildings and industrial estates with recycling programmes, recycling bins or skips are placed at certain locations and the recyclables are collected by a recycling collector (usually the recycling service is provided by the same general waste collector). It is not mandatory for commercial buildings and industrial estates to have recycling programmes.

The National Environment Agency (NEA) has worked with the JTC Corporation to implement recycling programmes for JTC industrial estates. NEA has also published the Guidebook on Waste Minimisation for Industries to help companies reduce their waste and practise recycling through a waste minimisation plan, tips and case studies. The guidebook is available for download at the NEA website.

(This article was first published in SG Recycle.)

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Condominiums and private apartments are not covered under the National Recycling Programme (NRP). But the National Environment Agency (NEA) are working with the Managing Agents and Management Councils of the condominiums and private apartments to introduce recycling programmes. Similar to the National Recycling Programme, recycling bags would be given to residents for their recyclables or recycling bins would be placed at selected locations.

As of Dec 2007, there are 353 condominiums and private apartments with recycling programmes. Recently, the ministry has also announced that it will make it mandatory to have recycling facilities in condominiums and private apartments. This mean that soon all the residential premises (HDB estates, landed properties, condominiums and private apartments) in Singapore will have some form of recycling programme and all residents have the opportunity to recycle.

(This article was first published in SG Recycle.)

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The National Environment Agency (NEA) has implemented the National Recycling Programme (NRP) since 2001, where recycling bags or bins are given to residents living in HDB housing estates and landed properties. These recycling bags and bins are provided by appointed recycling contractors and the recyclables are collected fortnightly under the NRP.

You can make use of the recycling programme to recycle items such as paper, plastic and glass bottles, metal cans and old clothing, instead of throwing them away.

In addition, there are recycling bins placed at housing estates (one set of recycling bins placed for every five blocks), and also public recycling bins placed at train stations and high traffic locations. Check out the locations of the nearest recycling bins at the NEA website.

With all these recycling programmes and facilities in place, it’s easy to recycle and there’s no more excuses not to.

Images source: NRP brochure.

(This article was first published in SG Recycle.)

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The public waste collection in Singapore is divided into nine sectors managed by four licensed Public Waste Collectors (PWCs) as shown below.

1. Pasir Ris-Tampines; Bedok; Tanglin-Bukit Merah (by Altvater Jakob Pte Ltd
2. Jurong (by Colex Holdings Ltd)
3. Clementi; City; Hougang-Punggol; Woodlands-Yishun (by SembWaste Pte Ltd)
4. Ang Mo Kio-Toa Payoh (by 800 Super Waste Management Pte Ltd)

The PWCs are responsible for the collection of waste from residential and trade premises in Singapore. They are also required to provide recycling services under the National Recycling Programme (NRP). For commercial and industrial premises, the waste are collected separately by licensed general waste collectors.

The waste collected by the PWCs and general waste collectors are disposed of at the four incineration plants (Tuas, Tuas South, Senoko and Ulu Pandan) and the offshore Semakau landfill. Waste that are incinerable are sent to the incineration plants while non-incinerable waste and incineration ashes are sent to the landfill. About 90% of waste are incinerated and 10% are landfilled.

In 2007, about 2.57 million tonnes of waste was disposed - 58% was generated from residential premises, food centres and markets; and 42% was generated from commercial and industrial premises. Each person generated about 0.88 kg of domestic waste per day.

Waste that are not disposed of are sent for recycling. In 2007, about 3.03 million tonnes of waste was recycled and an overall recycling rate of 54% was achieved. The quantity and recycling rate for each type of waste are shown in the table below:

Image credit: pakalakamino. Table source: National Environment Agency.

(This article was first published in SG Recycle.)

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Recycling refers to the processing of used and waste materials into new materials and products. This helps to prevent the disposal of the waste materials and reduce the use of virgin raw materials to manufacture products. Using existing waste material to manufacture products also tends to consume less energy and water resources as compared to using virgin material. The different types of materials that can be recycled includes paper, plastic, metal, glass, wood, horticultural, tyres, food, etc.

Recycling is one of the 3 ‘R’s - Reduce, Reuse, Recycle (in order of sequence) in waste management. The sequence is important, as source reduction is usually the best way to minimise waste while recycling still has some impact on the environment and should be done last. Reduce by not creating the waste or minimising the waste in the beginning. Reuse by using the waste several times or for another purpose. Recycle by sending the waste to be processed as a resource.

For example, let’s take a look at a plastic bottle of mineral water. Reduce by not buying the plastic bottle and drink from the tap or use your own water bottle. But if you really have to buy the bottle of water, then reuse it after finishing. Reuse the plastic bottle as your water bottle for refilling, use it as a flower vase, use it for storing other liquids, or use it to make art decorative items. After reusing the plastic bottle for some time and when it becomes dirty or damaged, don’t throw it away. Recycle the plastic bottle by depositing it into the recycling bag or bin under the recycling programmes.

Recycling is not THE solution to our overconsumption and waste problem. Recycling is only ONE of the waste management solutions to reduce the disposal of waste to our incineration plants and landfill, and encourage the reuse of used and waste materials. Recycling has to be practised with other green ideas such as reduce and reuse, sustainable design, design for the environment, cradle to cradle, biomimicry, zero waste, circular economy and sufficiency, in order to solve our waste problems.

Recycling is here to stay. Either you choose to criticise it and don’t practise recycling. Or you can make it work and encourage others to recycle. Whichever choice you make, SG Recycle will give you more information and answer your queries or criticisms on recycling. Stay informed on recycling with our weekly posts.

(This article was first published in SG Recycle.)

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Recycling programmes are common in our schools (preschools, primary, secondary and tertiary levels). Recycling bins and recyclables collection are usually provided for free by the public waste collectors who are also in charge of collecting waste from the schools.

Under the 3R Programme for Preschools, children in kindergartens and childcare centers can deposit their recyclables in nearby centralised recycling bins or in recycling bags. There are also fun educational activities for the children to learn more about the 3Rs (Reduce, Reuse and Recycle).

For primary and secondary schools, there is usually a Recycling Corner where students can use the recycling bins and learn more about recycling through the educational materials placed there. Check out the Recycling Corner at Telok Kurau Secondary School and Dunman Secondary School.

For tertiary schools, there are usually several sets of recycling bins placed at strategic locations throughout the campus. For example, there are about 18 sets of recycling bins placed at different locations in the National University of Singapore.

If there are no recycling programme in your school, send a request to your school administration to increase awareness on recycling and install recycling bins. For more information and help on recycling in schools, you can check with the National Environment Agency’s Resource Conservation Department.

(This article was first published in SG Recycle.)

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SG Recycle is a new blog that we set up and it is all about recycling in Singapore. It goes live today and the first post is What is Recycling?. A sneak preview:

Recycling refers to the processing of used and waste materials into new materials and products…. Recycling is one of the 3 ‘R’s - Reduce, Reuse, Recycle (in order of sequence) in waste management…. Recycling is not THE solution to our overconsumption and waste problem. Recycling is only ONE of the waste management solutions to reduce the disposal of waste to our incineration plants and landfill, and encourage the reuse of used and waste materials…. Recycling is here to stay. Either you choose to criticise it and don’t practise recycling. Or you can make it work and encourage others to recycle.

Our future articles will allow you to learn about the different types of waste materials that are recycled, how to recycle them, the different recycling programmes, the locations of recycling bins, the various recycling companies, and examples of recycling in other countries.

We decided to have a blog dedicated to recycling because we feel that there are still many people who lack knowledge on recycling in Singapore and some who have misconceptions and criticisms about recycling. Some critics of recycling that we met include:

• Top ex-government official in the environment agency
• Head of a local environmental group
• Karang guni man (rag and bone man) who always complain when he sees our recycling bag and says that it’s a waste of time

Sure, recycling has its flaws and it’s not the best solution for managing our waste. But we think recycling deserves some merit for diverting our waste away from the incineration plants and landfill. There is still much improvement in our recycling habits but it will improve with more education and practise. So SG Recycle is one resource to help you on your recycling journey.

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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:

1. Disposed and sent to the incineration plants
2. Sold at a cheaper price before the expiry date to clear stock
3. Donated before the expiry date to schools, charitable organisations or anyone who wants them
4. 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.

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At AsiaIsGreen, we are fans of Korea’s green efforts. So we are delighted when The Sunday Times published an article, Koreans trash the waste problem, which gave an insightful introduction to recycling in Korea.

We are most impressed with the recycling in restaurants and fast food outlets. Plastic containers and cups are replaced with paper products to facilitate recycling, and the restaurants can be fined if they do not recycle more than 90% of their used paper containers. Check out The Daily Kimchi for photos of sorting and recycling initiatives in restaurants. Read the rest

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