Waste Collection Systems

Public Waste Collection Scheme

Public waste collectors (PWCs) are appointed by NEA through open tenders to serve domestic and trade premises in Singapore by geographical sectors. The tenders are open to companies that meet the pre-qualification criteria, and successful bidders are awarded licences to provide refuse and recyclables collection services for the respective sectors for seven to eight years.

Currently, three PWCs operate in Singapore and serve in the six sectors indicated on the map below.  

The customer hotlines of the PWCs for feedback and enquiries are as follows:

800 Super Waste Management Pte Ltd

Ang Mo Kio-Toa Payoh and Pasir Ris-Bedok sectors: 6366 3800 

ALBA W&H Smart City Pte Ltd

Jurong and Woodlands-Yishun sectors: 800 852 6860 (toll-free)

SembWaste Pte Ltd

City-Punggol and Clementi-Bukit Merah sectors: 1800-278-6135

Fees for Public Waste Collection

The National Environment Agency (NEA) has revised the refuse collection fees for households to $9.81 per month (incl. GST) for HDB/private apartments and $32.67 per month (incl. GST) for landed homes, with effect from 1 January 2024.

Refuse collection fees for the six sectors are available here.

For more information, please refer to NEA's media advisory and to the list of Frequently Asked Questions. 

Disposal of Bulky Items, Garden Waste and Dead Pets

Click here for tips on disposal of bulky items, garden waste and dead animals.

Strata-titled developments

The Management Corporation Strata Title (MCST) of private developments (i.e. condominiums, private apartments) are given the option to opt out of the Public Waste Collection scheme for refuse and recycling collection services. However, once they have exercised their option, the MCSTs will not be allowed to change their decision for the entire period of the public waste collection period. 

The MCST of new developments can join the public waste collection scheme by submitting a copy of the option form here [ 71Kb] to indicate their decision to contact_nea@nea.gov.sg.

General Waste Collection system

NEA licenses general waste collectors (GWCs) in Singapore as well. GWCs primarily serve commercial and industrial premises. Each GWC is licensed to collect one and/or multiple class of general waste and the description of each class of general waste is as follows:

To safeguard environmental public health in Singapore, licensed GWCs have to adhere to the requirements set out in the Environmental Public Health Act 1987 and Environmental Public Health (General Waste Collection) Regulations. In addition to the legislations, GWCs are also to adhere to the guidelines/ best practices stipulated in the Code of Practice for Licensed General Waste Collectors, so as to maintain high service standards and render waste collection services in a professional manner. A copy of the Code of Practice can be found here [pdf 692 Kb]. 

Collection of used cooking oil

Effective 1 June 2017, all used cooking oil (UCO) collectors must possess a Class B.1 GWC licence. Food retail establishments and food manufacturers are required to have their UCO collected by licensed collectors only. A list of licensed UCO collectors can be found below.

Licensed UCO collectors are required to submit quarterly declaration through the Waste and Recycling Data Submission Services under the Waste & Resource Management System (WRMS) within two weeks after each calendar quarter. A copy of the declaration excel can be found here [xlsx 38 Kb], while the link to WRMS can be found here.

How to apply for a GWC licence

Application/Renewal for a GWC licence is done via GoBusiness. The annual GWC licence fee is $195 and the validity period is one year. Applicants are required to fulfil the criteria listed here [pdf 238 Kb]. A sample of the GWC Licence can be found here. For licence renewals, licensees will also be required to submit their Annual Returns/ Form A, in addition to updating their vehicle, equipment, drivers and crew information in WRMS. A copy of the Annual Returns/ Form A can be found here [xlsx 80 Kb]. A guide/ checklist of the information to be provided can be found here [pdf 213 Kb]. Specific application instructions for UCO collectors are found here [1 Mb].

How to apply for a disposal account and update vehicles, equipment, driver/crew information as a GWC

Class A and B GWCs are encouraged to open a disposal account with NEA for the disposal of waste at our refuse disposal facilities. With a disposal account, the general waste collector will be billed fortnightly or monthly for the general waste disposed of at the disposal facilities. Application for the opening of disposal account can be made in Waste & Resource Management System (WRMS) – The Integrated Waste Management System (iWMS) e-Service here. As a GWC, you are also required to update the list of vehicles, equipment, driver and crew regularly through WRMS – iWMS e-Service. Please refer to the video guide under PWM for Waste Management Industry on how to fill up new PWM fields.

For new GWC, you will be required to submit the list of users to NEA after obtaining your GWC licence in order to access WRMS and perform the necessary update in WRMS – iWMS e-Service.

A copy of the user guide can be found here.

Progressive Wage Model (PWM) for Waste Management Industry

Effective 1 July 2023, all Public Waste Collectors (PWCs) and General Waste Collector (GWCs) are required to comply with the requirements stipulated under the PWM for waste collection sub-sector.

Under the Environmental Public Health Act 1987, licensees are required provide information to NEA to demonstrate compliance with the PWM requirements. Existing licensees are required to submit the required PWM information through WRMS-iWMS e-Services during renewal. Please refer to this video for a step-by-step guide on how to fill up the new PWM fields. For new licence applicants, a copy of the PWM declaration excel shall be submitted during licence application. The PWM declaration excel can be found here [xlsx 209Kb] and the step by step guide to fill up the form can be found here [pdf 855 Kb].

Safe practices in the waste collection industry

Workplace safety is of paramount importance in the waste collection industry. A Workplace Safety and Health Guidelines for General Waste Management was developed by WMRAS (with the involvement of various agencies and relevant stakeholders) to provide important WSH information and best practices to be adopted by GWCs to ensure that every worker is equipped with the relevant knowledge to ensure the safety and well-being of themselves and their co-workers when providing waste collection services. A copy of the guidelines can be found here. Notwithstanding, NEA also specifies mandatory inspection of vehicles and equipment and safety guidelines. 

Hooklifts and open-top containers must be inspected annually by accredited workshops and adhere to NEA’s inspection checklist, found here [pdf 1Mb]. Refuse compactors, tankers, and intermediate bilk containers (IBCs) must also be inspected by accredited workshops and have valid inspection certificates. Each tanker must pass a hydrostatic test and obtain certification for the hose and air filtering system. A list of accredited workshops can be found here.

NEA does not tolerate overfilling or overloading of waste in open-top containers (OTCs). Such acts may compromise the safety of the driver and other road users. Advisories to GWCs addressing overfilling and overloading are available here [pdf 195 Kb] and here [pdf 470 Mb], respectively­.

For the placement of open top containers on public streets, please refer to the requirements stated in the 'Guidelines on the placement of skip bins on Public Streets". The set of guidelines can be viewed here. 

Contact

Please fill in the online feedback form or call our hotline at 6225 5632 if you have any queries.