Lim Chu Kang landfill to be used for recycling
First parcel leased will be for recycling wood waste
By Dominic Nathan
THE Lim Chu Kang landfill site will be the first major centre for recycling in Singapore.
The Environment Ministry plans to lease out parts of the 45-hectare former dumping ground to be used as private recycling plants for certain waste materials.
The first facility, for which a tender was called recently, will recycle wood waste. It is expected to process about 150 tonnes a day, turning the waste into usable products such as chipboard for making furniture, or forklift pallets which can then be sold.
An ENV spokesman told The Sunday Times that a prequalification tender for the first 2.5-ha parcel of land was called on Oct 14. It closed last month.
Shortlisted companies will be invited to submit tenders to lease the land. No other details were available as the tenders are being evaluated.
Wood waste and construction debris are two products targeted for recycling under the Government’s Green Plan to turn Singapore into a model environment city by the year 2000.
Such waste makes up about 500 tonnes or 16 per cent of all industrial and commercial waste every day. The Green Plan estimated that between 20 and 40 per cent of it can be recycled.
And with 9 to 11 per cent growth in the construction industry this year, the amount of waste is expected to grow.
The Green Plan had also suggested imposing a special levy on the disposal of these wastes in order to bring about more recycling.
Asked if ENV would implement such a levy, the ministry spokesman said the matter was still under consideration.
Apart from being a major boost for local recycling, the Lim Chu Kang project would mark the first time that landfill space is being released for commercial use.
While not the most desirable of sites, landfills do possess a unique advantage.
According to the Green Plan, methane gas, which is produced when waste decomposes, will be extracted to generate electricity to operate equipment on site.
The Lim Chu Kang dump was closed on Sept 1, 1992 after it had been completely filled up. It had been in use since 1976.
In an earlier report on developing landfill space, an ENV spokesman had said that it may take between five and 15 years of treatment for the land to stabilise before it can be developed.
Parks and recreational use will need a shorter treatment time. Untreated, it can take 40 years or more before the land can be used.
The only other remaining landfill site is in Lorong Halus in Tampines. It is expected to run out of space in 1997, after which all garbage that cannot be incinerated will have to be disposed offshore at a new dump site being built at Pulau Semakau.
Source : The Sunday Times 25th December 1994
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