Fees raised to keep up with costs of providing household refuse and recyclables collection services such as for manpower, in line with rising operational costs.

Singapore, 30 November 2021 - The National Environment Agency (NEA) will be revising the refuse collection fees for households to $9.63 per month (incl. GST) for HDB/private apartments and $32.07 per month (incl. GST) for landed homes from 1 January 2022. The revised fees ensure that Singapore’s overall waste management system can operate sustainably. The increase in fees on 1 January 2022 amounts to $1.38 per month for households living in apartments (i.e., HDB flats as well as condominiums that have not opted out of the public waste collection scheme), and $4.60 per month for households living in landed premises. The refuse collection fees for households are reviewed once every two years.

Current refuse collection fees have remained unchanged since 2017

2          NEA appoints Public Waste Collectors (PWCs) to collect refuse from households via open competitive tenders. There are currently three PWCs serving six sectors across Singapore [1]. Each household pays its PWC a monthly refuse collection fee through its monthly utility bill. The fees were last revised in 2017 and have remained unchanged since then. The current refuse collection fees are $8.25 per month for households living in apartments and $27.47 per month for households living in landed premises for all sectors (both figures inclusive of GST).

Fee review in line with rising operational and manpower costs

3          The refuse collection fee for each of the housing type is derived by considering the weighted average of the PWCs’ charges, as well as changes arising from contractual adjustments.  Over the past few years, average PWC charges have increased in tandem with rising operational and manpower costs.

Efforts by NEA and PWCs to manage costs

4          Refuse collection is traditionally labour-intensive. As the demand for waste collection services continues to rise, it is not sustainable to continue increasing manpower to meet the service demand. Transforming the waste collection sector is necessary to increase efficiency, promote growth and create better jobs in this sector. Reducing the need for more manpower and other resources helps to manage costs.

5          As part of our efforts to uplift and transform the waste management industry, NEA works with PWCs to adopt innovative solutions and technologies to improve productivity and efficiency. The PWCs, which are appointed through open, competitive tenders, have implemented command and control centres that centralise digital fleet management and deployment capabilities for greater operational efficiency. Where possible, recyclables are collected using side-loading bins and trucks, which enable higher-capacity collection of recyclables with a one-man collection crew, and dual-compartment trucks for same-trip collection of recyclables and garden waste from landed premises.

Support and Assistance for Households

6          The household refuse collection fee can be offset by the Goods and Services (GST) Voucher – U-Save rebates. The next tranche of the U-Save rebates will be disbursed in January 2022. This scheme helps eligible HDB households with their utility expenses [2], which include the refuse collection fee.

7          In addition, households facing financial difficulties can approach their nearest Social Service Office for assistance.

8          NEA will continue to partner stakeholders to transform the sector and develop the 3R culture in Singapore, to achieve the vision of becoming a Zero Waste Nation. Reducing, reusing, and recycling our waste will reduce the pressure on our waste disposal system and ensure the sustainable management of household waste.

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