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01 An aerial view of Semakau Land ll.
02 North East aerial view of Semakau Land ll.
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growth on the global stage as well. In 2015, World leaders have adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which also acts as an urgent call to action for sustainable development for all countries. Singapore is also committed to play our part in the global effort to protect Mother Earth.
5. Rising Community Commitment to Zero Waste
Various community organisations have stepped forward to address the waste issue, be it campaigns to reduce the usage of plastics bags or to encourage recycling. This is in line with the growing international trend of community involvement and commitment.
6. Technological Progress
The advent of technology has allowed us to explore innovative solutions. Singapore is looking to recycle incineration bottom ash, which constitutes approximately 70% of what goes into our landfill. Field trials will be conducted using treated incineration bottom ash as a road base or sub-base material in road construction to validate the treatment methods.
With these six driving forces in mind, it is evident that we had to magnify our trash
problem and look at the situation on a much broader scale. Hence, the Zero Waste Masterplan was born. Singapore’s inaugural Zero Waste Masterplan was launched on 30 August 2019, which marked a significant milestone in Singapore’s sustainable development journey and a key step towards the vision of a Zero Waste Nation. The Masterplan maps out Singapore’s key strategies to build resource, climate and economic resilience. This involves moving away from a linear take-make-dispose economic model to a circular one through sustainable production and consumption, and transforming trash into treasure. In addition to the 70% overall recycling rate, 30% domestic recycling rate and 81% non- domestic recycling rate targets under the Sustainable Singapore Blueprint 2015, the masterplan targets to reduce the waste sent to Semakau Landfill each day by 30% by 2030 which will help to prolong Semakau’s Landfill lifespan beyond 2035.
Circular Economy Approach
To achieve this target, a circular economy approach will be adopted across the entire value chain via the following three strategies:
a. Sustainable Production
Climate change, resource constraints and the growing consumer demands for sustainable products emphasise the need for businesses to re-think their processes, adopt new methods with improved resource management and reduce the amount of waste produced. Government-led Initiatives such as the voluntary Singapore Packaging Agreement formed in 2007 encourages companies to reduce packaging waste. With over 240 signatories till date, it signifies the willingness of companies to step up to the challenge.
On the broader scale, the promotion of industrial symbiosis, where “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure”, or in this case, one company’s waste could be utilised by another’s as raw material in a mutually beneficial collaboration could lead to more sustainable processes and ultimately, cost savings for businesses. This resource optimisation concept is currently being explored at upcoming districts such as Jurong Lake District and Punggol Digital District, with the aim of closing waste loops at the district level.
b. Sustainable Consumption
With growing affluence amongst
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