Contents:
Background
Obligated Premises
Reporting Requirements
Hotels and Malls
Industrial Premises, Convention and Exhibition Centres
Records and Weighing
Setting Up a 3R Programme
MWR Self-Help Guide and Best Practices
Findings of the Mandatory Waste Reporting Exercise
Other Useful Resources
Contact
Background
The Environmental Public Health Act (EPHA) was amended on 1 April 2014 to enable the mandatory reporting of waste data and submission of waste reduction plans by
any owner, occupier or lessee of a work place, upon their receipt of a written Notice.
The Mandatory Waste Reporting (MWR) aims to draw management's attention to and sustain their awareness of the amount of waste produced by their premises and the potential for improving waste management systems.
Mandatory waste reporting (MWR) by owners/occupiers of large commercial premises started in 2014. MWR by owners/occupiers of large industrial premises, large convention and exhibition centres started in 2020.
Obligated Premises
- "Work place" is defined in the EPHA as any premises or place used for any industrial,
trade, commercial or manufacturing purposes and includes all construction sites,
work sites and farms.
- A sample of the Notice served to owners/occupiers of obligated premises is available for downloading here.
- Currently, the commercial premises that are served a Notice include hotels with more than 200 rooms and shopping malls with more than 4,600 square metres of Net Lettable Area.
- From 2020, factories with more than 20,000 square metres of Gross Floor Area (GFA), warehouses with more than 50,000 square metres of GFA, and convention/exhibition centres with more than 8,000 square metres of GFA, will also be included.
Reporting Requirements
For Hotels and Malls
Upon receipt of the Notice, owners/occupiers/lessees of all newly affected premises are required to log in to Waste and Recycling Data Submission Services (WRMD) portal on the Waste and Resource Management System (WRMS) at https://wrms2.nea.gov.sg, to ensure that the premises profile is accurate.
All owners/occupiers/lessees of affected premises are required to complete and submit the following documents as per the instructions stipulated in the Notice:
1. Waste Report – This covers the quantities of waste disposed of and recycled by the premises in the preceding year (i.e. data on waste generated in 2019 is to be submitted by 31 Mar 2020), supplementary information, and the waste management system details of the premises.
2. Waste Reduction Plan and Progress Update – This covers the planned activities for waste reduction at the premises as well as an update on the initiatives that have already been implemented.
3. Declaration and Endorsement – Authorised personnel to declare that the submission is complete and true on WRMS.
Owner/occupier is required to submit only one waste report per year, which will consolidate information for all waste generated within the premises, including waste generated by the lessees.
A WRMS MWR user guide has been enclosed to facilitate the use of the WRMS.
For Industrial Premises, Convention and Exhibition Centres
Upon receipt of the Notice, owners/occupiers/lessees of affected premises are required to complete and submit the following documents as per the instructions stipulated in the Notice, using the templates in the hyperlinks below:
1. Waste Report template - Industrial Premises and MICE Venues – This covers the quantities of waste disposed of and recycled by the premises in the preceding year (i.e. data on waste generated in 2020 is to be submitted by 31 Mar 2021), supplementary information, and the waste management system details of the premises.
2. Waste Reduction Plan and Progress Update – This covers the planned activities for waste reduction at the premises as well as an update on the initiatives that have already been implemented.
3. Letter of Endorsement – The Chief Executive or an equivalent, who is in charge of the management and operations of the premises, must endorse the waste report, waste reduction plan and progress update.
Furthermore, owners/occupiers/lessees of premises with tenants/event organisers who manage their own waste are required to collate and submit the Waste Reports completed by each tenant/event organiser.
All submissions are to be sent to waste_reporting@nea.gov.sg.
Records and Weighing
In addition, owners/occupiers/lessees are required to keep records of the waste disposed of and recycled quantities at the premises, for not less than 5 years. With effect from 1 Sep 2019, the following requirements further apply to waste disposed of by affected premises:
| Premises with:
| Owners/occupiers/lessees are required to:
|
|---|
| Mobile Compactors | - Obtain all weighbridge tickets/receipts by their General Waste Collectors (GWCs)
that must show the weight of waste disposed of from their premises
|
| Bulk Bins/Dust Drums | - Adopt either one of the options below:
a. Engage GWCs with trucks fitted with weighing systems and obtain
tickets/records generated by the truck's weighing system showing the
amount of waste collected
for every collection trip
b. Acquire weighing scales with less than ± 5% error margin to perform in-house weighing and maintain all
weighing records
|
To assist affected premises with complying with the weighing requirements, a list
of General Waste Collectors that provide general waste weighing services can be found here.
Lastly, for verification of the information submitted, on occasion, these records may be requested to be submitted and/or physical inspections of the premises may be conducted.
Setting Up a 3R Programme
Owners/occupiers/lessees may refer to NEA's guidelines on how to set up a 3R programme at their premises. Information on collectors, traders and local recycling facilities can also be found in the General Waste Disposal Facilities page.
MWR Self-Help Guide and Best Practices
NEA developed the MWR Self-Help Guide and Best Practices (for Hotels & Malls and Industrial Premises & MICE venues) to facilitate a better reporting experience and assist owners/occupiers/lessees of affected premises to comply with the MWR requirements. The self-help guide aims to bring the user through the entire MWR submission process towards completion and contains a set of best practices and resources that could be useful for the premises’ waste management operations.
Findings of the MWR Exercise
Mandatory waste reporting (MWR) by owners/occupiers of large commercial premises started in 2014. Under the scheme, owners/occupiers of large hotels and malls are required to submit waste and recycling data and waste reduction plans. Large industrial premises, large convention and exhibition centres submitted their first waste reports and waste reduction plans for MWR in 2020.
In 2024, all large hotels, malls, large industrial premises and MICE venues implemented 3R programmes. Between 2023 and 2024, the recycling rate for large hotels increased from 9.4% to 11.2%, while the recycling rate for large malls increased from 12.1% to 13.3%. For large industrial premises, the recycling rates increased from 54.6% to 55.2%, while the recycling rate for MICE venues increased from 3.2% to 9.01%.
The hotels, malls and industrial premises with the highest recycling rates typically segregated paper (carton boxes and newspapers), metals (containers and scrap metals) and food waste for recycling.
The key statistics for MWR hotels, malls and industrial premises can be downloaded here.
Other Useful Resources
Owners/occupiers/lessees of MWR affected premises are also encouraged to appoint and train staff as Zero Waste Managers to lead waste management and reduction efforts on their premises. NEA has worked with training providers to develop the Zero Waste Manager course to support businesses in building waste management competencies and fulfilling relevant regulatory requirements on waste and resource management in the Environmental Public Health Act and Resource Sustainability Act, including the MWR scheme.
Contact
For queries relating to mandatory waste reporting, you may fill in the online feedback form or call our hotline at 6225 5632.
(Updated as at Jul 2026)