Louis delivered his budget cut on Increasing Electronic Waste Recycling at Committee of Supply 2016.

Louis: Madam, my next cut. Technological advances have led to affordable ownership of personal electronics and this has resulted in more electronic waste being generated by Singaporeans. According to the Ministry of Environment and Water Resources, quite disappointingly, less than 1% of our e-waste was recycled in 2015.

Electronic and electrical waste, or e-waste, contains small amounts of hazardous substances, which pose health concerns if not disposed of properly. What are the Ministry's plans to ensure the continued safe recycling or disposal of our growing volume of e-waste in Singapore?

Dr Amy Khor Lean Suan (The Senior Minister of State for the Environment and Water Resources): Take the example of electronic waste, or e-waste for short. Singapore generates more than 60,000 tonnes of e-waste every year. This will only grow as electronic items become more common. As pointed out by Dr Chia and Mr Ng, e-waste may contain valuable materials, but also small amounts of hazardous substances which can cause pollution and affect human health.

We have studied the upstream controls of hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment, and I would like to update that from 2017, we will restrict hazardous substances in six types of electrical and electronic equipment. They are mobile phones, mobile computers, refrigerators, air conditioners, panel TVs and washing machines.

I would also like to touch on a specific hazardous substance, mercury. The Minamata Convention on Mercury is a global, legally binding instrument that seeks to protect human health and the environment from anthropogenic releases of mercury and mercury compounds. In 2013, Singapore signed on to the Minamata Convention.

While the vast majority of batteries sold in Singapore do not contain mercury, a very small number do. We plan to phase out mercury-added batteries, including button-cell batteries, which contain mercury exceeding 5ppm by weight. The manufacture, import and export of all non-compliant mercury-added batteries will be prohibited by 2018.

Going forward, we plan to extend the restrictions on mercury content to other products, such as lightings, switches and relays.

Another part of our waste management strategy is to work closely with the community and businesses to consume sustainably, and reuse and recycle, as much as possible.

Source: Hansard (Parliament of Singapore)

Louis asked the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources whether the Ministry can clarify what is (i) the contamination rate of recyclables from household recycling and (ii) the most common form of or reason for this contamination.

Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M (MEWR): Under the National Recycling Programme (NRP), Public Waste Collectors (PWCs) are required to provide a blue co-mingled recycling bin at every HDB block and for all landed residential premises. Recycling receptacles must also be provided in condominium developments. This co-mingled recycling bin system under the NRP makes it convenient for residents as they do not have to spend additional time and effort to segregate the different types of recyclables (that is, paper, metal, plastic and glass) nor set aside space in their homes to store different types of recyclables separately.

While much effort has been put into encouraging domestic recycling, our domestic recycling rate was only 19% in 2015. We need to work harder to achieve our target of a domestic recycling rate of 30% by 2030. This includes inculcating responsible recycling habits, such as preventing the contamination of recyclables in the co-mingled recycling bins by placing only items which can be recycled in such bins.

According to the PWCs, about 40% of items found in the recycling bins have to be disposed of as they cannot be recycled. Some of the common non-recyclable items found deposited in recycling bins include soft toys and old shoes. Food waste found mixed with recyclables is another problem. Recyclables contaminated with food waste cannot be recycled and also create pest and odour problems.

All co-mingled recycling bins in the NRP have clear labels that indicate what items can be recycled, such as clean paper, plastics, metal cans, glass and old clothing. Through public education programmes in schools and at grassroots events, my Ministry and the National Environment Agency strongly encourage everyone to contribute to our recycling efforts and to ensure that only items which are suitable for recycling are deposited in the co-mingled recycling bins.

Source: Hansard (Parliament of Singapore)

Louis asked the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources (a) whether he can provide an update on the Ministry's plans to enhance the mandatory waste reporting requirements by supermarkets; and (b) whether the Ministry plans to extend waste reporting to other premises that generate large amounts of waste including food waste.

Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M (MEWR): Under the mandatory waste reporting requirements, owners of certain premises which generate large amounts of waste must report their waste and recyclables tonnages, waste reduction plans, and waste reduction targets to the National Environment Agency (NEA). This is to encourage them to improve their waste management systems, by drawing attention to the amount of waste produced and the potential for improvement.

Currently, only shopping malls with a net lettable area of more than 4,600 square metres and hotels with more than 200 rooms are subject to these requirements. Supermarkets located in malls would have their waste data accounted for under the malls’ tonnage. There are no plans to introduce mandatory waste reporting requirements specifically for supermarkets.

We will continue to monitor the waste generation of premises subjected to mandatory waste reporting. We will also consider extending the reporting requirements to other premises that generate large amounts of waste, such as industrial premises, bearing in mind the compliance costs.

Source: Hansard (Parliament of Singapore)

Louis asked the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources in each of the past three years (a) how much has been spent on the National Recycling Programme; and (b) how many tonnes of recyclables has the programme contributed to the total amount collected from Singapore's domestic recycling sector.

Dr Amy Khor Lean Suan (for the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources): Public waste collection (PWC) contracts cover both the collection of recyclables, under the National Recycling Programme (NRP), and the collection of waste. The public waste collectors charge a single fee for both waste and recycling collection, which is paid by households as the monthly refuse collection fee.

The NRP was started in 2001 to provide households with a convenient channel to recycle. It is complemented by other available recycling channels provided by the private and people sectors, such as charity donation drives, community recycling drives and door-to-door collection of recyclables.

In 2016, the public waste collectors collected about 44,200 tonnes of recyclables. This was an increase from 2014 and 2015, when about 31,000 and 37,000 tonnes of recyclables were collected respectively.

My Ministry continues to look at how we can improve recycling rates in the domestic sector, where the recycling rate has been hovering around 20% since 2012. In recent years, we have been enhancing recycling infrastructure to make it even easier for Singaporeans to recycle. For example, from 1 April this year, all new non-landed private residential developments above four storeys will need to provide dual chutes for refuse and recyclables. These dual chutes have already been introduced in new HDB Build-to-Order flats since January 2014. All existing condominiums will also have to provide one recycling bin per block from 1 August this year. We will also use regulatory measures to complement the new recycling infrastructure. For example, we will introduce a new framework to make it easier for Singaporeans to recycle their e-waste.

Ultimately, active participation in recycling by all Singaporeans will be key to improving our domestic recycling rates. The NEA promotes the 3Rs, that is, “reduce, reuse and recycle”, via social media posts and educational materials distributed at community and school events. Information on the proper use of recycling bins, location of collection points and 3R tips are also available on NEA’s website and NEA’s myENV mobile app. We will continue to encourage every Singaporean to play their part to reduce, reuse and recycle.

At the same time, Singaporeans should not misuse the recycling bins. A little less-known fact is we can no longer use the recyclables once they are contaminated, such as by food waste. Let us all be gracious and not waste the efforts of our fellow Singaporeans who want to do their part for the environment.

Louis: I thank the Senior Minister of State for the reply, but I have also asked how much has been spent on the NRP for each year in the last three years. Can I also clarify that the figure that the Senior Minister of State gave of 44,200 tonnes, is that the total amount collected from the Singapore domestic recycling sector or is that the figure that was collected by the NRP?

Dr Amy Khor: Regarding the question of how much we spent, we do not specifically track the amount spent on outreach programmes and campaigns for the NRP because this is actually done in-house by the NEA together with other outreach campaigns such as the Clean and Green Singapore, Keep Singapore Clean and Do the Mozzie Wipeout campaigns.

In addition, NEA does outreach and educational efforts to engage and educate residents on the 3Rs, including NRP through, as I have said, social media posts, as well as on our websites and on our myENV mobile app.

Regarding the 44,200 tonnes collected in 2016, it is just the collection of recyclables under the NRP carried out by the public waste collectors. This is about 10% of the total amount of recyclables we collect for the domestic sector.

Louis: I thank the Senior Minister of State. Just one last supplementary question. I know that NEA uses surveys to track the proportion of residents who recycle but I do not think it gives a very accurate picture. So, would NEA be conducting more in-depth reviews to evaluate the effectiveness of our recycling programme?

Dr Amy Khor: The survey that the Member has referred to is, I think, the PWC Customer Satisfaction Survey. That was last done for the period 2015/2016. We had more than 8,500 respondents who participated in this customer satisfaction survey. It is done by a consultant using established survey methodologies, so, we think that this is reflective of the level of public participation in recycling. But we welcome any further suggestions to improve the accuracy of this survey.

Source: Hansard (Parliament of Singapore)

Louis delivered his budget cut on Tackling E-waste at Committee of Supply 2018.

Louis: Sir, like Dr Chia Shi-Lu, I have previously raised the issue of safe recycling or disposal of our growing volume of e-waste. I understand that 60,000 tonnes of e-waste is generated in Singapore each year and this number will only rise in coming years. This is a problem that needs to be addressed urgently as e-waste pose both health and environmental problems.

I am glad that companies have stepped forward to promote the recycling of e-waste but this is clearly not going to solve the problem.

The Ministry mentioned last year that it is looking into a national e-waste management system. Can the Ministry provide an update on the plans to manage e-waste and whether it can urgently establish a programme to ensure that e-waste is recycled or disposed-off safely?

Dr Amy Khor Lean Suan (The Senior Minister of State for the Environment and Water Resources): Thank you. Dr Chia and Mr Louis Ng asked for an update on our national e-waste management system. MEWR will implement a mandatory e-waste management system by 2021 to ensure that electrical and electronic products are disposed of in an environmentally friendly way, and allow for safe recovery of useful materials. For a start, this system will cover five main categories of products, namely ICT equipment like mobile phones and computers, solar panels, batteries, lamps, and certain large household appliances like refrigerators, air-conditioners, washing machines and dryers. Together, these products make up close to 90% of e-waste in Singapore and generally pose more harm to the environment if not properly treated.

Our e-waste management system will adopt the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) approach, which is also implemented in other countries like Sweden and South Korea. NEA will set collection targets for manufacturers and importers to take back a proportion of the products they put on the market. They will be required to work with NEA-licensed Producer Responsibility Organisations (PROs), which will organise the collection, transport and proper treatment of e-waste, and help the manufacturers and importers achieve their targets.

For example, PROs will work with large electrical and electronic retailers to set up in-store e-waste collection points. All retailers must also provide free one-for-one take-back service for their products. Dr Chia asked about recycling larger e-waste items. Apart from the take-back service provided by retailers, Town Councils also provide bulky waste disposal service, which will ensure collected e-waste is properly recycled.

We will set collection targets in consultation with the industry and review them before implementing a penalty framework eventually. The EU started with an overall collection target of 4 kg per capita in 2003. After 13 years, the target reached 45% of all electronic products sold on market by weight. We will study the practices in other countries to design a cost-effective system. By aggregating e-waste and enabling more efficient collection and processing, there will be greater value captured from e-waste, which is one of the more valuable waste streams. This will help offset the cost of operating the e-waste system.

We will consult relevant stakeholders to work out legislation and implementation details.

Some companies have already taken the initiative to implement voluntary e-waste management programmes. For instance, StarHub runs the RENEW programme in partnership with DHL and TES-AMM. I am pleased to see retailers like Courts, Gain City and Harvey Norman coming on board the RENEW programme. There will soon be e-waste collection bins in some of their outlets.

The mandatory e-waste system will help both the environment and the economy. EPR systems have generated new business opportunities and jobs in the e-waste management and recycling industries in other countries. In France, for instance, more than 3,000 e-waste recycling jobs were created since EPR was implemented in 2005. We will integrate and support smaller industry players so they can benefit from our national system, including the karung guni men who provide collection services.

Source: Hansard (Parliament of Singapore)

Louis delivered his budget cut on Extend E-waste Producer Responsibility at Committee of Supply 2019.

Louis: Sir, I spoke about my love for gorillas during the Films (Amendment) Bill and little did I know that I have been unknowingly contributing to their demise. Quite simply, because I use a mobile phone and a laptop.

 As recently as last month, a media report highlighted that "The critically endangered Grauer’s gorilla has lost 77% of its population in the last 20 years, partly due to the mining of minerals used to make cellphones." The mineral extracted and used is coltan. The report also stressed that, "Participating in cellphone recycling programmes helps reduce the demand for mining in gorilla habitat".

 I have spoken up about the recycling of e-waste for several years and I am glad that we are making progress and will be introducing the Extended Producer Responsibility approach to managing e-waste by 2021.

Can the Minister share more details about this, whether it can be brought forward and also whether this can include the recycling of mobile phones and, in particular, the mineral coltan?

Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M (MEWR): This same thinking applies to every other resource. For example, lithium-ion batteries found in almost all our electronics – handphones, laptops and even electric vehicles. Global demand is soaring, but mineral sources for lithium, cobalt and coltan are finite and costly to mine. Continuously exploiting these minerals may harm the gorillas that Mr Louis Ng was talking about. But we can collect these used uncontaminated e-wastes in meaningful amounts, and apply R&D and new technologies to extract the precious minerals. 

This will increase our resource resilience and avoid harming the environment. Businesses are alive to the opportunities of the circular economy. Among them is our own home-grown e-waste recycling company, TES. TES recovers treasures from trash, extracting gold, silver and palladium from e-waste. TES has plans to expand its lithium-ion battery treatment process facility. Recyclers like TES are important as they ensure that heavy metals from e-waste do not contaminate our environment, but are instead recovered as valuable resources to power our economy.

Dr Amy Khor Lean Suan (The Senior Minister of State for the Environment and Water Resources): I will speak on e-waste first. It is critical that we manage our e-waste properly. First, to avoid contaminating our landfill and water catchment with toxic substances. Second, to protect the health of workers who handle these discarded products. And third, to extract valuable materials that can be recycled into new products. We will do so through the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) framework, which makes producers financially and physically responsible for the end-of-life collection and treatment of their products.

Mr Louis Ng and Miss Cheng Li Hui asked for details of the framework, which will come into effect in 2021. We have no plans to bring the start date forward. Industry feedback has highlighted that both producers and recyclers need sufficient time to adjust.

The framework will apply to electrical and electronic equipment, or what we call "triple E" (EEE), which are categorised as Information and Communication Technology (ICT) equipment, batteries, lamps, solar panels and large appliances. Large appliances will now include electric mobility devices like e-scooters and power-assisted bicycles. Almost 90% of e-waste in Singapore will be covered.

Arising from industry feedback, NEA will appoint a single Producer Responsibility Organisation (PRO) to reap economies of scale. Producers of EEE for the consumer market, such as laptops and mobile phones, will be required to finance the PRO. We will exempt small producers from financing the PRO to avoid imposing disproportionately high costs on them.

The PRO will collect and send the e-waste for recycling. NEA will impose collection targets on the PRO. But as a transitional measure, penalties for missing collection targets will not be enforced in the first three years. 

All producers of non-consumer EEE will be required to take back all end-of-life products for free upon request. This covers commercial and industrial equipment, such as solar panels and data servers. We will not require them to finance a PRO, as they have existing take-back processes. 

Retailers must also offer free one-to-one takeback services during delivery; for example, to take away the old refrigerator when delivering a new one. Further, retailers with a EEE sales area of more than 300 sqm must provide in-store collection points. This provides consumers with convenient avenues for recycling e-waste. 

Many retailers and partners already provide such collection points voluntarily. For example, NEA partnered StarHub, DHL and TES to bring the RENEW programme to Best Denki, Courts, Gain City and Harvey Norman. They have collected more than 3,200 kg of e-waste across 20 outlets since June last year. Altogether, there are currently about 500 e-waste recycling bins island-wide, which can be located via myENV app. I encourage everyone to take advantage of these convenient channels to recycle your e-waste, including rechargeable lithium-ion batteries from our mobile phones. 

The framework will include new recycling requirements to ensure that all collected e-waste is properly treated to facilitate the recovery of resources, such as gold, and the removal of harmful substances. We note Mr Ng’s suggestion on the recovery of coltan. We are still consulting the industry on the recycling requirements. 

To support this framework, NEA will actively develop the e-waste industry, such as the skills and capabilities of our local recyclers. This will create more good job opportunities for Singaporeans, including opportunities in the PRO, supply chain management and e-waste recycling. 

Source: Hansard (Parliament of Singapore)

Louis asked the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources whether the Ministry will consider having (i) designated areas for recycling bins at each HDB block, which will make recycling more convenient and (ii) a waste bin beside each recycling bin to reduce the contamination rate in our recycling bins.

Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M (MEWR): Making recycling more convenient is indeed part of the approach that my Ministry and the National Environment Agency (NEA) are taking to improve recycling rates. Every HDB block is currently provided with a recycling bin, and all new Build-to-Order flats launched since 2014 have a recycling chute next to the waste chute, making recycling as convenient as the disposing of general waste. In addition, as suggested by the Member, NEA is working with the Public Waste Collectors and the Town Councils to progressively demarcate the location of recycling bins. NEA is also working with other stakeholders on the ground, including the Town Councils, to ensure that sufficient general waste bins are available. 

Besides reviewing the infrastructure needed to better support recycling, public education is key in reducing the contamination rate of our recyclables. This is why my Ministry and the NEA launched a #RecycleRight campaign as part of the Year Towards Zero Waste to raise awareness of what can and cannot be recycled. We are also working with our 3P partners to redesign the recycling bin labels to reflect what can and cannot be recycled more clearly, and to emphasise that food and liquids should not be thrown into the recycling bins as they would contaminate the recyclables.          

Source: Hansard (Parliament of Singapore)

Louis asked the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources (a) what respective percentages of (i) tetra paks and (ii) disposable plastic water bottles disposed of in a recycling bin in Singapore gets recycled; (b) whether the Ministry has conducted or knows of a life-cycle assessment that compares the carbon impact of a tetra pak to that of a disposable plastic water bottle of similar capacity; and (c) if so, what are the results of such studies.

Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M (MEWR): Used beverage cartons, such as tetra pak cartons and disposable plastic water bottles, that have been deposited in the blue commingled recycling bins provided under the National Recycling Programme are sorted by the Public Waste Collectors at material recovery facilities. About 60% of all materials collected from the blue commingled recycling bins are recycled. NEA does not track the specific recycling percentages for disposable plastic water bottles or used tetra pak cartons.  

We have not conducted any life-cycle assessment that specifically compares the carbon impact of a tetra pak carton with that of a disposable plastic water bottle of similar capacity; nor are we aware of any authoritative studies on this. NEA's focus is to reduce the excessive consumption of all types of packaging, not just plastic bottles or tetra pak cartons, and to work with stakeholders to promote recycling.

Source: Hansard (Parliament of Singapore)