GEIS-新闻详情

Over 300 e-waste recycling bins to be placed at malls, supermarkets and more

2021-07-01 00:00:00.0 海峡时报-新加坡原网页

SINGAPORE - Consumers will from Thursday (July 1) be able to deposit their electronic waste (e-waste) at more than 300 collection bins placed at convenient locations such as malls and supermarkets.

The scheme signals the start of a new government e-waste management system that is part of a national drive to encourage people to recycle, following a successful soft launch in June.

The aim is to collect about 20,000 tonnes of e-waste annually. Items can range from large appliances like refrigerators; equipment related to information and communications technology (ICT), such as laptops; and smaller things like light bulbs and batteries.

Announcing the start of the scheme at furniture and electronics retailer Harvey Norman at Millenia Walk on Wednesday, Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment Amy Khor said some 60,000 tonnes of e-waste is generated in Singapore annually, equivalent to each person throwing away about 70 mobile phones each year.

This volume is expected to increase as electronic devices become more prevalent.

She said: “E-waste has to be handled properly to recover valuable resources, as well as to prevent hazardous substances from harming our environment and our health... Reducing and recycling e-waste is crucial towards making Singapore a zero-waste nation.”

As at Tuesday, more than 1,000kg of e-waste had been collected, after the soft launch on June 4, the National Environment Agency (NEA) said on Wednesday.

This consisted mainly of printers, mobile phones, light bulbs and personal computers.

Calling the response promising, NEA said more bins will be placed at public areas such as shopping malls, community centres, supermarkets and retail outlets.

These bins will replace receptacles from existing voluntary recycling programmes, such as those run by various industry organisations, making it more convenient for consumers to recycle their e-waste.

The nationwide e-waste system is based on the Extended Producer Responsibility scheme, where producers are responsible for managing the end-of-life disposal of electrical and electronic products that they supply to the Singapore market.

This means producers will have to collect the end-of-life products from consumers at no extra charge, and send the products for proper treatment and recycling.

E-waste is one of the priority areas identified under Singapore's Zero Waste Masterplan - a plan to reduce one-third of the waste sent to Semakau landfill by 2030.

The e-waste collection services will be run by Alba E-Waste Smart Recycling, a local entity under the Alba Group, an international waste management company, for five years till June 30, 2026.

Alba E-Waste general manager Fons Krist said he expects large household appliances to make up the bulk of the weight of the deposited items, and added that the focus now is setting up the infrastructure for Singaporeans to conveniently recycle their e-waste.

Dr Amy Khor depositing items of e-waste for recycling into a bin. ST PHOTO: TIMOTHY DAVID

This can be done through multiple collection avenues, such as dropping off items at e-waste recycling bins, bulky item disposal services provided by town councils, or collection services by some retailers.

Consumers will also be able to earn points when they recycle their e-waste through Alba's Step Up mobile application. The points can be used to redeem other points, including from Grab, and vouchers for services such as ride-hailing, food delivery and bicycle-sharing, and for beauty products and environmentally friendly goods.

Users of the app can look for a QR code at the collection channels, scan it and take a picture of the e-waste they drop off to be rewarded with points.