SINGAPORE, April 18 (Xinhua) -- Singapore's overall recycling rate has improved from 52 percent in 2020 to 55 percent in 2021, on the back of improved economic conditions and increased business, said the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu on Monday.
But last year's overall recycling rate is still below the pre-COVID-19 level of 59 percent in 2019, she added.
Fu said at the joint opening of CleanEnviro Summit Singapore and Singapore International Water Week that under the Singapore Green Plan 2030 launched in 2021, the city-state is pursuing the vision of a Zero Waste Nation, to reduce carbon emissions, boost resource resilience and conserve landfill space.
According to Singapore's National Environment Agency, the recycling rate is derived from the amount of waste recycled divided by the total amount of waste recycled and waste disposed of. Singapore's national goals are to achieve a 70 percent overall recycling rate by 2030.
In Singapore, waste disposed of is incinerated and sent directly to landfills. The resultant ash from incineration is subsequently disposed at Singapore's only landfill, Semakau Landfill.
As both incineration plants and landfill are capital-intensive infrastructures and require large tracts of land, land-scarce Singapore cannot continue to build incineration plants and landfills to cope with the growing demand for waste disposal, according to a Singapore government's website.
The Singapore Green Plan 2030 is a national movement that outlines concrete and ambitious plans towards sustainable development and net zero emissions by or around mid-century.
Fu said that Singapore must push for more sustainable consumption and production practices to achieve its target of reducing waste-to-landfill per capita by 30 percent by 2030.
Besides, Singapore is introducing measures to close the waste loops, such as a scheme to ensure proper handling and treatment of e-waste, requirements over 2024 and 2025 for industrial and commercial buildings to segregate food waste, and a plan to implement a disposable carrier bag charge at large supermarkets. ■
