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03 Singapore's waste statistics by waste stream. (2018).
Singapore, hazardous substances present in these laptops, batteries and refrigerators could be detrimental to both human health and the environment without proper means of disposal. On the flip side, e-waste also contains valuable resources such as precious metals which can be reused if extracted properly.
To ensure the proper management of e-waste at their end-of-life and prevent the valuable metals they contain from being wasted, Singapore will implement an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) framework to ensure the proper end-of-life treatment and recycling of the electrical and electronic products under the Resource Sustainability Act by 2021.
c. Packaging
With the ease and convenience of food delivery options like GrabFood, FoodPanda and Deliveroo taking Singapore’s food scene by storm, the increased use of disposable packaging is almost inevitable. While packaging has such a prevalent presence in our daily lives – what immediately crosses our minds are our grocery shopping plastic bags, takeaway coffee cups, wine bottles and potato chips packaging among others – they are hardly reused and often just chucked down the rubbish chute. This is significant as packaging waste contributed to over 33% of Singapore’s domestic waste in 2018.
For a more sustainable usage of packaging, mandatory packaging reporting will be introduced for producers and supermarkets with an annual turnover of $10 million for a start in 2020. The eventual aim is to implement an extended producer responsibility framework (similar to e-waste) for packaging waste not later than 2025.
On the technological front, the government is exploring new solutions such as chemical recycling which converts plastic into fuel or feedstock to close the plastics waste loop in Singapore.
A Zero Waste Nation?
So what does zero waste really mean for Singapore? The transition towards a zero waste nation not only protects our environment and mitigates our climate impact, but also benefits communities, creates more highly-skilled jobs and supports a strong local economy. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, over 42% of greenhouse gas emissions are caused by the production and use of goods, including food, products and packaging. The transition towards a zero waste nation will help to lower our carbon footprint and greenhouse gas emissions, and bring us closer to our climate pledge under the Paris Agreement. The circular economy approach will also help to maximise resource efficiency for resource- scarce Singapore. The transformation of the environmental services industry will lead to high-skilled, safer and more productive jobs.
The Future Ahead
The importance of environmental sustainability seems to be catching on as more people start to embrace greener practices as a social norm. We see the growing numbers of environmental non- governmental organisations demanding for more sustainable behaviour in BYO campaigns and a string of green products such as metal straws and reusable sturdy coffee cups pop up in the market.
Times have changed. There is now widespread recognition that “end of pipe” solutions such as incineration and landfilling is no longer a sustainable waste management solution. Sufficient attention must be given to upstream measures such as those laid out in the masterplan to truly tackle the waste issue. Everyone has a part to play in the success of the masterplan. Only when everyone starts to embrace the zero waste mindset can we successfully make the transition towards a Zero Waste Nation.
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