The Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources (MEWR) has designated 2019 as the Year Towards Zero Waste.
2. Mr Masagos Zulkifli, Minister for the Environment and Water Resources, launched the year-long campaign at Our Tampines Hub (OTH). The launch will be followed by a weekend of activities at OTH, which will include: sharing sessions on the circular economy by Mr Arthur Huang, National Geographic Emerging Explorer and CEO, Founder of Miniwiz; exhibition booths by MEWR’s Partners promoting the 3Rs; and tours of OTH’s eco-friendly facilities. The launch was attended by 250 guests from the 3P (People, Public and Private) sectors and the diplomatic corps.
3. Singapore generated 7.7 million tonnes of waste in 2017. This is a seven-fold increase from 40 years ago, and enough to fill 15,000 Olympic-size swimming pools. Based on the current rate of waste generation, our only landfill, the Semakau landfill, will run out of space by 2035.
Singapore’s Inaugural Zero Waste Masterplan
4. MEWR and the National Environment Agency (NEA) will be publishing inaugural Zero Waste Masterplan in the second half of this year. The Masterplan will chart our adoption of a circular economy approach to sustainable waste and resource management. It will detail the key policies and strategies that the Government will be implementing in the next few years, supported by industry transformation and research and development. Examples of policies include the introduction of the Extended Producer Responsibility approach to managing e-waste by 2021. We will consult the public and industry stakeholders on the development of the Masterplan.
Call for Collective Effort
7. Our vision of a Zero Waste Nation can only be achieved through our collective efforts. Over the course of the year, the MEWR Family will work with 3P partners to engage various stakeholders – individuals, schools, businesses and community groups – on actions everyone can take to help move Singapore towards a Zero Waste Nation. Examples include: buying only what you need; and bringing your own bag.
8. A #RecycleRight movement will be launched to encourage everyone to recycle the right way. We will engage partners to help educate public on the items that can go into the blue recycling bin, and the importance of ensuring the items are clean and free of food/liquid waste. To support relevant ground-up projects, a ‘Towards Zero Waste Grant’ will also be set up.
9. More information on the Zero Waste Masterplan public consultations, #RecycleRight movement and ‘Towards Zero Waste Grant’ will be provided later in the year. More information on the Year Towards Zero Waste can be found at www.towardszerowaste.sg.
Retrieved from Mewr.gov.sg. (2019). News|Press Releases. 2019 is Singapore’s Year Towards Zero Waste. [online] Available at: https://www.towardszerowaste.gov.sg/zero-waste-nation/ [Accessed 10 Sep. 2019].