SINGAPOREANS will generate about four million tonnes of waste — enough to fill 20 National Stadiums up to a height of 12 metres each — in nine years’ time, warned Environment Minister Mali Bow Tan yesterday.

He said that efforts to promote recycling would have to be stepped up. A site for commercial recycling plants has already been set aside within the old Lim Chu Kang dumping area.

And to dispose of the increasing waste materials, a fourth incineration plant would be needed "very soon".

He was responding to three MPs who had expressed concern over the increasing waste materials being generated.

Environment GPC chairman John Chen (Hong Kah GRC) noted that about 2.4 million tonnes of waste were disposed of last year, a 9 per cent rise from the year before.

Both Dr Chen and Mr Charles Chong (Eunos GRC) also suggested the use of electric waste grinders attached to kitchen sinks to turn solid food wastes into liquid and flush it into the sewage system.

Replying, Mr Mah said that the generation of wastes would pose a "serious problem". Last year’s figure of 2.4 million tonnes was 1½ times that of 10 years before.

"The trend in any near-affluent society is that the waste that is generated keeps going up at a rate which is faster than the growth of GDP."

At present, a third of the waste generated is recycled. This comprises mainly industrial waste like metal scrap, wood waste and demolition rubble obtained from building demolitions.

The rest, which amounted to the 2.4 million tonnes last year, was either incinerated or dumped through landfills.

Both methods are very expensive.

An incineration plant costs between $500 million and $1 billion. The latest plant at Senoko cost about $600 million.

The capital investment for landfills is also hefty. For example, the new offshore landfill site at Pulau Semakau would cost about $1.2 billion:

Given the high costs and lack of sites for landfills, Mr Mali said his ministry had been pushing actively for waste recycling and minimizations.

The first commercial recycling plant in Lim Chu Kang would deal with wood-waste. Other future projects include recycling used tyres.

He noted that there were aver 1,000 recycling schemes involving hospitals, hotels, schools and offices, as well as public recycling centres throughout the island.

He also commended the Bishan-Serangoon Town council for its recycling programme, adding that his ministry would try to implement similar or new schemes elsewhere.

Most office buildings, he said, had their own wastepaper recycling schemes, while warehouses were also looking into implementing their own schemes.

He turned down the suggestion on food waste grinders, however, as they used water to flush the food waste down the sewage. If installed in every household, Singapore would use an estimated 12 million litres more water a day.

Besides, food waste still had to be treated when it finally reached the sewerage plant, making the cost of treating food waste in this manner more expensive than incineration.

Parliament yesterday approved the Environment Ministry’s budget of nearly $750m.

Source : The Straits Times 23rd Mar 1995

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