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Singapore's Recycling Nosedived by More Than 10% in 2017

According to NEA, Singapore recycled 4.72 million tonnes of waste in 2017, down by more than 10% when compared with the year before that.

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): The most recent data published by Singapore's National Environment Agency (NEA) suggests significant decline in the overall recycling rates in the country during 2017. The NEA website states that the country generated less waste during the previous year, but also recycled less than the previous year.

The huge fall in recycling is despite the series of steps taken by the administration to educate general public on the immense benefits and need of recycling. For instance, the administration had provided every HDB block a blue recycling bin. Further, it had made mandatory for all housing projects to provide recycling chutes, with throw points in each floor.

According to NEA, Singapore recycled 4.72 million tonnes of waste in 2017, down by more than 10% when compared with the year before that. It must be noted that the country's recycling volume had totaled 4.77 million tonnes in 2016. The recycled volume of wood waste, plastic and paper witnessed largest declines during the year. Among them, the plastics recycling rates took the biggest hit, falling from 57,554 tonnes in 2016 to as low as 51,800 tonnes in 2017. On the other hand, the recycling of food waste increased significantly during the year. Nearly 133,000 tonnes of food waste was recycled in 2018, significantly higher from the 2016 levels of 111,100 tonnes.

Singapore generated less solid waste in 2017. The total waste generation by the country dropped from 7.81 million tonnes in 2016 to 7.7 million tonnes during the previous year. However, the proportionate rate of recycling stood unchanged at 61% in 2017. The domestic recycling rate remained unchanged at 21%, said Dr Amy Khor, Senior Minister of State for the Environment and Water Resources.

Commenting on the low recycling rate in 2017, the leading environment group Singapore Youth for Climate Action demanded immediate government intervention to revive the country's recycling programme.