7 Cannot Sell ... So They Burn' - What's Next in The Uncertain Future For Plastic Waste in Singapore - Channel NewsAsia

‘Cannot sell ... so they burnʼ: Whatʼs next in the uncertain future for plastic waste in Singapore?
- Channel NewsAsia 03/09/18, 6*48 PM
‘Cannot sell ... so they burn’:

What’s next in the uncertain
future for plastic waste in
Singapore?
With China’s decision to stop taking in the world’s
plastic waste and recyclables, countries like
Singapore will have to consider the limitations and
alternatives to plastic recycling.
03 Jun 2018 10:50AM
Singapore
A recycling bin filled to the brim. (Photo: Aqil Haziq Mahmud)
03 Jun 2018 10:41AM
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SINGAPORE: If you think putting your plastic waste into the blue bin
means it will automatically be recycled, think again.
China's announcement last July that it no longer wanted to import “foreign

garbage” has created problems within the global recycling industry, which
could mean that the plastic bottle you just “recycled” is actually destined
for the incinerator.
Like many Western countries, Singapore too has been sending a huge
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/china-bans-plastic-waste-whats-next-for-recycling-in-singapore-10281026 Page 1 of 11
‘Cannot sell ... so they burnʼ: Whatʼs next in the uncertain future for plastic waste in Singapore? - Channel NewsAsia 03/09/18, 6*48 PM
proportion of its recyclable plastic overseas. Until recently, most of this

also made its way to China, as industry players pointed out that running a
recycling operation here is not financially viable.
In the longer term, however, observers say that exporting Singapore’s

plastic recyclables to other countries, or even simply incinerating it, are
both unsustainable.
Responding to queries from Channel NewsAsia, the National Environment

Agency (NEA) said it “recognises that there may be uncertainties involved
in exporting plastic waste overseas”.
According to latest United Nations trade data, Singapore in 2016 exported

almost 42,000 tonnes of plastic waste to China, Malaysia, Vietnam and
Indonesia. These are countries which industry players said are top
destinations for recyclable plastic.
This figure is nearly three-quarters of the 59,500 tonnes of plastic that

NEA said was recycled in the same year.
While the total amount recycled only made up a meagre 7 per cent of the
822,200 tonnes of plastic waste generated in 2016, one observer believes
China’s ban is another blow for the domestic recycling sector.
RECYCLABLES INTO THE INCINERATOR?
Mr Teri Teo, a project consultant at recycling firm LHT Holdings, said

public waste collectors (PWC) that may have in the past collected
household recyclables, sorted out the plastics and sold them to China, are
now incinerating them instead.
“They don’t want to sort the recyclables because there’s no demand,” he

told Channel NewsAsia. “They cannot sell it, so they burn it.”
LHT Holdings is a member of the Waste Management and Recycling
Association of Singapore, which also counts the four PWCs here as

members.
Among the PWCs contacted for comment on their operations following

China’s ban, Sembwaste and Veolia ES did not respond, while Colex and
800 Super declined comment, with the latter citing the sensitivity of the
matter.
Tuas South Incineration Plant. (Photo: Facebook/Teo Chee Hean)
For now, to ensure that recyclables are collected and sent to material
recovery facilities (MRF) in the first instance, NEA said it uses GPS
systems to track the movement of the PWCs’ dedicated recycling trucks.
“Recycling collection crews are required to scan the radio-frequency

identification (RFID) tags fitted to the recycling bins when they collect
recyclables and the information is recorded automatically in the RFID
system for audit purposes,” it said.
NEA added that its officers “regularly” check operations at the MRFs and
incineration plants to ensure that recyclables are sorted and only items
that cannot be recycled are sent to the incinerators.
“Trucks for carrying recyclables are automatically detected at the

incineration plants and are denied entry,” it stated.
Rubbish being dumped inside the incineration plant. (Photo: Nisha Karyn)
Once recyclables have been sorted at MRFs, however, there is still a strong
likelihood much may still be diverted to incinerators, given how
contamination is a key issue.
“It is wrong to assume that what we dump into these bins are contaminant
free,” said Mr Zach Lee, a research associate at the Nanyang Technological
University (NTU). “One issue with attempting to sort and recycle plastics
in Singapore is the high rate of contamination with food waste.”
Aerial view of Semakau Landfill. (Photo: Facebook/Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources)
In the long run, even as more plastic waste may find its way into
Singapore’s incinerators, that in itself is also an unsustainable option.
The Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources has stated that at
the rate that Singapore is producing and burning waste, Semakau Landfill
will run out of space by 2035.
“As ash from incinerated waste eventually has to go into our (only) landfill,
incineration alone cannot deal with the ever-increasing amount of waste
that we are producing,” the ministry said on its website.
Incinerated ash being tipped into one of the landfill's cells. (Photo: Nisha Karyn)
While Mr Teo acknowledged the potential for public outrage if household

recyclables are indeed being indiscriminately incinerated, he said waste
companies are left with little choice. He claimed that the Government does
not offer enough financial support to make recycling a sustainable business
model in Singapore.
Industry players said PWCs will continue to collect household recyclables

under existing Government contracts and use various strategies to deal
with them, including selling the unprocessed material to countries besides
China. However, companies that survive on buying industrial
recyclables from factories and exporting them will be the hardest hit.
These companies don't deal with household recyclables because they lack
volume and come with a higher risk of contamination.
Mr Teo said following China's ban, most of these companies – called

traders – have stopped collecting plastic recyclables, while some have fully
ceased operations. Only a handful have invested in machinery to process
the plastic into pellets, he added.
RECYCLABLES TO OTHER COUNTRIES?
One trader that hasn’t stopped buying plastic waste from factories is Gin
Wee Recycling.
Its managing director Ricky Tan told Channel NewsAsia that the company
now sells the plastic to Malaysia, Vietnam and Indonesia. His clients in
Malaysia are still Chinese companies that circumvent the ban by
processing plastic there before exporting the recycled pellets to China.
Previously, 80 per cent of his inventory was sold to China.
The ban has also led to a 30 per cent drop in the price of plastic, Mr Tan
said, pointing as well to weak currencies and taxes in the alternative
markets. He said Chinese companies used to buy the plastic at S$0.80 a
kilogramme, compared to S$0.50 in Malaysia now.
Another trader, Liong Hup Soon, has also adopted a similar strategy, its
shareholder who only wanted to be known as Mr Ho told Channel
NewsAsia.
The company’s sales took a 50 per cent hit after the ban was first
announced last year, Mr Ho said, as plastic waste piled up in its storage
facility up till February. “But because of the workaround, business is now
back to how it was pre-ban,” he added.
Compressed blocks of plastic waste, which will no longer be accepted for recycling by China seen at Far West
Recycling Oct 30, 2017 in Hillsboro, Oregon. (Photo: AFP/Natalie Behring)
According to leading US recycling firm Berg Mill Supply, “all grades of

plastic have seen a major shift to secondary markets” from 2016 to 2017,
when China’s import restrictions came to light. In that period, Malaysia
took in five times more polyvinyl chloride (PVC), while Vietnam more than
doubled imports of polyethylene terephthalate (PET).
Before China’s ban on 24 types of solid waste including plastics, the

country was recycling more than half of the world’s plastics to fuel a
growing manufacturing sector.
But as one expert explained, China’s solid waste handling plants are
reaching full capacity amid its own growing waste sources.
“Moreover, the national government of China made circular economy the
national priority in recent years,” added Professor Seeram Ramakrishna,

chair of the circular economy taskforce at the National University of
Singapore (NUS).
FILE PHOTO: A worker walks past piles of plastic PET bottles at Asia's largest PET plastic recycling factory
INCOM Resources Recovery in Beijing May 7, 2013. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon/File Photo
Mr Tan expects to rely on alternative markets for the next three to five
years, after which he believes the company has to start turning scrap into
pellets.
LHT Holdings’ Mr Teo said re-routing the plastic to other countries is

unsustainable as they are also trying to implement a similar ban.
“They also want to improve their image as a clean city,” he explained.

“They also face strong environmental regulations in their countries on
their own plastic waste, and concerns about the actual non-recyclable
plastic waste that is being imported.”
RECYCLING IN OUR OWN BACKYARD?
Mr Dave Wong, business development manager at A~Star Plastic

Recycling, agreed. “You won’t like your neighbour throwing rubbish in
your house,” he said, noting that other countries will eventually follow in
China’s footsteps.
This is why his company recycles the industrial plastic scrap first rather
than just exporting it, he said. “Every country should develop their own
recycling capability,” he added. “Then, everybody will take care of their
own scrap.”
The ban has also given Mr Wong’s business a leg-up, as Chinese companies
are forced to buy processed pellets as opposed to scrap. “In the past, we are
not able to compete with Chinese recyclers,” he said. “Their operating cost
is much lower than in Singapore, so we are not able to sell the recycled
resin to China.”
The process of recycling plastic. (Photo: National Environment Agency)
Still, Mr Wong said recycling plastic comes with high operating costs and
challenges that include contamination and land constraints. He estimated
that there are only about five plastic recycling companies left in Singapore,
down from 20 in previous years.
“Once plastic is contaminated, the cost of recycling will shoot up because

you have to do cleaning and sorting,” he explained. “You also need to have
a minimum quantity to start a batch process, meaning you need a big space
to accumulate all these plastics.”
The different types of plastic. (Photo: Facebook/Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore)
Another challenge, NUS’ Prof Ramakrishna said, is the wide variety and
combination of materials used in a growing number of products. For
example, one plastic bottle can contain two or three different types of
plastic.
“Upcycling or recycling plastic requires well-sorted plastics with

standardised specifications in required quantities for the potential users,”
he explained. “This means investing in technology and automated plants
for solid waste handling, separation and quality control.”
WHAT NOW FOR RECYCLING?
In light of these challenges, NEA said it is trying to develop more

sustainable solutions for plastic waste management and improve local
recycling capabilities in Singapore.
One measure is the Closing the Waste Loop (CTWL) research and
development initiative, which encourages institutes of higher learning,
research institutes and private sector partners to collaborate and find
solutions to increasing waste generation, scarcity of resources and land

constraints.
“A focus of the CTWL initiative is the development of solutions to enable a

more ‘plastic resource efficient’ economy, and to extract value and
resources from plastic waste,” NEA said. “The aim is to keep waste plastics
as resources in the economic loop for as long as feasible, which will also
help to reduce their impact on the environment.”
An elderly woman rides a tricycle with garbage past a truck carrying recycled goods on a road in Beijing.
(Photo: AFP/Wang Zhao)
Rather than just focusing on research and development, LHT Holdings’ Mr

Teo said the Government should subsidise manufacturers of recycled
products and create demand for such products. “This allows their product
price to be competitive in the market, so they can be awarded Government
projects,” he said.
Prof Ramakrishna said Singapore might also need to partner countries in

Asia to accumulate sufficient volumes of properly sorted plastic or solid
waste. “For an organised waste management sector to be viable, it requires
certain economies of scale,” he explained.
REDUCE BEFORE RECYCLE
But until the recycling sector is fundamentally transformed, reducing

consumption seems to be way to go.
“The ban places a greater urgency on the need to reduce the plastic waste
generated by both individuals and companies,” said Singapore
Environment Council executive director Jen Teo.
Companies should choose suppliers that show a commitment to reducing
packaging waste, she added, while retailers should consider changing the
carriers and containers they provide to customers, including offering
reusable bags as alternatives.
File photo of plastic bags. (Photo: AFP/Fred Dufour)
NEA said it is stepping up engagement with stakeholders to avoid the

excessive use of plastic disposables and implementing the mandatory
packaging reporting framework by 2021. The latter requires businesses to
submit reports on the types and amounts of packaging material they place
on the market and their packaging waste reduction plans every year.
As for individuals, Ms Teo encouraged them to bring their own reusable

items, such as containers, bottles, cups and straws when dining out.
“Retailers that offer discounts to customers who bring their own utensils
will benefit from the patronage of the growing number of ethical green
consumers looking to support companies with good environmental
practices,” she added.
Nevertheless, NTU's Mr Lee said implementing a practical solution would

require a “careful analysis of the cost, benefits and consumer or producer
behaviour related to plastic products and the reduction of plastic usage”.
He added: “I believe this is something that needs to be worked on

cohesively by the Government, private sector and NGOs (non-
governmental organisations) focusing on consumers and the
environment.”

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‘Cannot sell ... so they burnʼ: Whatʼs next in the uncertain future for plastic waste in Singapore?

- Channel NewsAsia 03/09/18, 6*48 PM

‘Cannot sell ... so they burn’:

A recycling bin filled to the brim. (Photo: Aqil Haziq Mahmud)

03 Jun 2018 10:41AM

China's announcement last July that it no longer wanted to import “foreign

proportion of its recyclable plastic overseas. Until recently, most of this

In the longer term, however, observers say that exporting Singapore’s

Responding to queries from Channel NewsAsia, the National Environment

According to latest United Nations trade data, Singapore in 2016 exported

This figure is nearly three-quarters of the 59,500 tonnes of plastic that

RECYCLABLES INTO THE INCINERATOR?

Mr Teri Teo, a project consultant at recycling firm LHT Holdings, said

“They don’t want to sort the recyclables because there’s no demand,” he

LHT Holdings is a member of the Waste Management and Recycling

Association of Singapore, which also counts the four PWCs here as

Among the PWCs contacted for comment on their operations following

Tuas South Incineration Plant. (Photo: Facebook/Teo Chee Hean)

“Recycling collection crews are required to scan the radio-frequency

system for audit purposes,” it said.

“Trucks for carrying recyclables are automatically detected at the

that we are producing,” the ministry said on its website.

While Mr Teo acknowledged the potential for public outrage if household

Industry players said PWCs will continue to collect household recyclables

Mr Teo said following China's ban, most of these companies – called

RECYCLABLES TO OTHER COUNTRIES?

Previously, 80 per cent of his inventory was sold to China.

According to leading US recycling firm Berg Mill Supply, “all grades of

Before China’s ban on 24 types of solid waste including plastics, the

“Moreover, the national government of China made circular economy the

national priority in recent years,” added Professor Seeram Ramakrishna,

LHT Holdings’ Mr Teo said re-routing the plastic to other countries is

“They also want to improve their image as a clean city,” he explained.

RECYCLING IN OUR OWN BACKYARD?

Mr Dave Wong, business development manager at A~Star Plastic

The process of recycling plastic. (Photo: National Environment Agency)

“Once plastic is contaminated, the cost of recycling will shoot up because

“Upcycling or recycling plastic requires well-sorted plastics with

WHAT NOW FOR RECYCLING?

In light of these challenges, NEA said it is trying to develop more

solutions to increasing waste generation, scarcity of resources and land

“A focus of the CTWL initiative is the development of solutions to enable a

Rather than just focusing on research and development, LHT Holdings’ Mr

Prof Ramakrishna said Singapore might also need to partner countries in

REDUCE BEFORE RECYCLE

But until the recycling sector is fundamentally transformed, reducing

Companies should choose suppliers that show a commitment to reducing

File photo of plastic bags. (Photo: AFP/Fred Dufour)

NEA said it is stepping up engagement with stakeholders to avoid the

As for individuals, Ms Teo encouraged them to bring their own reusable

Nevertheless, NTU's Mr Lee said implementing a practical solution would

He added: “I believe this is something that needs to be worked on

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