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On Mar. 4, 2021, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (MSE) Grace Fu spoke in parliament on the initiatives to move towards a Zero Waste Nation with the Zero Waste Masterplan.

Increase recycling rate to 70 per cent

For the uninitiated, the Zero Waste Masterplan was launched in 2019 in an effort towards a Zero Waste Nation.

One of the national goal, Fu said, is to achieve a 70 per cent overall recycling rate, and to reduce waste sent to Semakau Landfill per capita per day by 30 per cent by 2030.

Under the Singapore Green Plan 2030, this goal will be ramped up to achieve a 20 per cent reduction in waste-to-landfill per capita per day by 2026.

"We can achieve this if everyone plays their part, consuming less, wasting less, and recycling more," she said.

Deposit Refund Scheme

The National Environment Agency (NEA) will also introduce the legislative framework for the Deposit Refund Scheme (DRS) for beverage containers by 2022.

This is an effort to increase the recycling rate of beverages in Singapore.

A transition period will be provided before the implementation of the DRS system in 2023 to allow time for consumers and the industry to adjust.

Initiatives include the reverse vending machines, where consumers are encouraged to deposit clean and empty beverage containers in exchange for points.

These points can be redeemed in exchange for various rewards such as Grab reward points or vouchers for energy supplier Ohm and eco-friendly brand Stojo.

Chemical recycling in Singapore

Fu added that Singapore is pursuing both mechanical and chemical recycling solutions.

Since Sep. 2020, NEA and Shell are also jointly studying the feasibility of chemical recycling to treat plastic waste in Singapore.

Here are some preliminary findings from the study:

• Chemical recycling in Singapore is technically feasible, as the composition of polymer types in domestic waste is suitable for pyrolysis technology to be deployed.
• Carbon savings can be reaped from using waste plastic to produce pyrolysis oil as feedstock for chemical plants, compared to using crude oil-based feedstock.

According to a press release by MSE, chemical recycling can help to close the plastic waste loop in Singapore as it is able to treat contaminated plastic waste, which cannot be mechanically recycled, into higher-value products such as pyrolysis oil which can then be used to manufacture new plastic products.

The production of new plastic products from pyrolysis oil would “lock in” the carbon in the products, keeping it within the economy for as long as possible, as fewer plastic waste is incinerated.

Pilot plastic recovery facility

NEA is concurrently conducting a consultancy study on a pilot plastic recovery facility (PRF).

The PRF is critical in anchoring the chemical recycling value chain in Singapore as it will recover the plastic waste from general waste to be used as feedstock for chemical recycling.

The study will identify the technologies and equipment required to recover up to 72,000 tonnes of plastic waste per year for recycling.

NEA is also studying the recommendations by the Citizens' Workgroup on reducing the excessive consumption of disposables with a view to co-deliver some of the recommendations with the participants.

A response to the workgroup will be provided in April 2021.

Top image from Unsplash.