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World Cities Summit Issue, Jun 2008
Waste Management and
Economic Growth
Lee Yuen Hee
On 5 June 2007, NEA signed Singapore’s first Voluntary Packaging Agreement for the food and beverage industry which includes five industry associations representing more than 500 companies, 19 individual companies, two NGOs, the Waste Management and Recycling Association of Singapore and the four public waste collectors. This Agreement seeks to secure the commitment of key players in the packaging supply chain, brand owners, manufacturers, importers, retailers and recyclers, and also offers industry a platform to discuss and work together on feasible, cost-effective solutions to reduce packaging waste.
Another initiative to reduce waste is the Bring Your Own Bag Day campaign, launched in April 2007. The first Wednesday of every month has been designated "Bring Your Own Bag Day". Shoppers are encouraged to use reusable bags so as to cut down on wastage of plastic checkout bags that are taken and discarded without being reused such as for lining waste bins. Shoppers needing a plastic bag are encouraged to donate 10 cents towards the Singapore Environment Council to help finance its environmental activities. Shoppers are also encouraged to decline bags when making small purchases.
CHALLENGES AHEAD
Singapore has always placed a strong emphasis on having a clean environment and pollution-free air, land and water, and the challenges facing Singapore ahead are to maintain a clean and green environment amidst rapid economic progress. To overcome these challenges, Singapore must constantly innovate and optimise its resources.
As the economy and population continue to grow and consumption patterns change, waste generation is expected to increase. However, NEA is convinced that economic growth need not mean generating more waste. The per capita municipal solid waste disposed of has decreased from 0.94 kg/person/day in 2003 to 0.88 kg/person/day in 2007, suggesting that Singapore is making progress "Towards Zero Landfill" and demonstrating that economic development does not have to mean more waste generated.
In the early days of industrialisation and economic growth, the Singapore Government adopted the most cost-effective solutions at the time to handle the increasing amounts of solid waste being generated in the country. As waste quantities continue to increase with the economy’s robust growth, the way forward is to reduce the waste disposal rate through waste recycling and waste minimisation at source. At the same time, NEA will continue to actively engage and educate the 3P sectors—People, Private and Public sectors—through various community programmes and campaigns to achieve a clean and sustainable living environment.
Through our multi-pronged strategies and sustained efforts, we hope to ensure that Singapore remains as a model of sustainable development in the region.
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THE SEMAKAU LANDFILL
In order to cope with Singapore’s ever-increasing amount of waste, a new landfill was created by constructing a 7-kilometre perimeter rock bund to enclose part of the sea between Pulau Semakau and Pulau Sakeng, two of Singapore’s offshore islands. On-site work on the project costing S$610 million started in April 1995, and operation began in April 1999, after Singapore’s only landfill at Lorong Halus was exhausted in March 1999.
Semakau Landfill is expected to meet the country’s solid waste disposal needs beyond year 2040. Presently, about 2,000 tonnes of waste, including construction waste, non-hazardous industrial waste and inert ash, are transported daily from the Tuas Marine Transfer Station to the landfill.
Semakau Landfill is one of the few landfills in the world to be located so far away from the mainland. Landfills are usually situated close to the mainland, because it makes transportation easier and less costly. However, due to land scarcity in Singapore, locating a landfill offshore was the only possible option.
Semakau Landfill covers a total area of 350 hectares and has a landfill capacity of 63 million cubic metres. The bund is lined with a layer of impermeable membrane and marine clay to prevent any leachate within the landfill area from affecting the surrounding environment.
During construction, silt screens were used to prevent the construction activities from contaminating the ecosystem in the vicinity of the landfill. The mangroves of Pulau Semakau which were affected in the construction process were replaced and replanted on two plots of mangroves of about 14 hectares located outside the periphery of the sanitary landfill. Over 400,000 mangrove saplings were replanted in the process.
Besides helping to preserve the rich mangrove groves around the sanitary landfill facility, the mangroves also act as biological indicators of the water quality around the facility. With all the pollution prevention measures put in place, the mangroves have thrived and so have the biodiversity of the eco-system around the facility.
Singapore chose to protect the environment as well as create a sanitary landfill out of two islands without impacting the surrounding environment and ecology. The rich biodiversity around the sanitary landfill shows that development and environmental protection can co-exist and need not be mutually exclusive. |
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