Recycling Rate Targets by Waste Type

5 Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis asked the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment in relation to the Zero Waste Masterplan’s target of achieving an overall recycling rate of 70% by 2030 (a) what is the breakdown of our recycling rate targets by waste type; (b) what is the target recycling rate for plastics; and (c) what are the pathways to raising the plastic recycling rate from 6% today to the intended 2030 target.

The Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment (Dr Amy Khor Lean Suan) (for the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment): In a resource- and carbon-constrained world, recycling enables us to reduce emissions and achieve a circular economy. Under the Zero Waste Masterplan, we have set a target to achieve a national recycling rate of 70% by 2030, which is supported by targets to increase the domestic recycling rate to 30% by 2030 and the non-domestic recycling rate to 81% by 2030.

We are focusing efforts on three priority waste streams, namely, packaging waste, including plastics, electronic waste and food waste. Plastics are generated in large quantities, but the recycling rate is low. We have various initiatives to drive plastics recycling on both the domestic and industrial fronts. The National Recycling Programme caters to residential premises, while the Mandatory Packaging Reporting scheme encourages companies to reduce the amount of packaging they use. Under this scheme, large producers of packaged products and retailers must report the amount of packaging they introduce into Singapore annually and develop 3R – or reduce, reuse, recycle – plans for packaging materials, including plastics.

Members of the public will have more opportunities to contribute to plastics recycling under the upcoming beverage container return scheme, which will encourage the return and recycling of beverage containers, such as plastic bottles. This scheme is expected to be in place by mid-2024 and will help cultivate recycling habits amongst the community and enable us to aggregate clean and high-quality recyclables. Similar schemes in countries, such as Norway, Sweden and Lithuania, have achieved return rates of 80% or higher.

Agencies are also exploring innovative solutions with the private sector that will allow us to recycle more plastics. One such initiative is chemical recycling which can process plastics that cannot be mechanically recycled, such as contaminated single-use plastics, and convert these into feedstock to manufacture new products like plastics, chemicals and even sustainable aviation fuels.

We will need everyone's collective efforts to reduce, reuse and recycle, in order to achieve our national recycling rate target.

Mr Deputy Speaker: Mr Louis Chua.

Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis (Sengkang): Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. Just one supplementary question for the Senior Minister of State. I am not sure I caught the answer to the question in the original Parliamentary Question (PQ), in terms of the target —

Mr Deputy Speaker: Mr Chua, could I invite you to speak up please, or speak into the microphone? Thank you.

Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis: Sure. Specific to the original PQ that I asked on the recycling rates by category, I asked that because if you look at the plastics, for example, it is only about 6%; whereas for categories, such as ferrous metal, it is already at 99%. So, in terms of getting to the 2030 target recycling rate, what would be the breakdown for some of these targets?

Specifically, for plastics, given that there have been studies which indicate that it is technically feasible to undertake chemical recycling here in Singapore, what are the plans around this in terms of implementation?

Dr Amy Khor Lean Suan: First, I must clarify that I am answering the Member's question because there is only one question; there is no amended question.

My reply is, firstly, that under our Zero Waste Masterplan, we have an overall recycling rate target of 70%. This is accompanied by a domestic recycling target rate of 30% and a non-domestic target recycling rate of 81%.

The Member is right to say that, in the case of certain waste streams like ferrous metals, or construction and demolition waste, for instance, we have successfully achieved close to 100% recycling rate. As I have noted earlier, we have identified and are focusing on three priority waste streams – which are the packaging waste, that includes plastic; e-waste; as well as food waste – because these are generated in large volumes and we expect these volumes to likely increase, for instance, electrical and electronic waste. So, we are focusing and targeting on these. They are large volumes, but the recycling rate, as the Member has also rightly pointed out, is low. And we do track and publish these recycling rates.

But we also recognise that for certain waste streams, they are interconnected. For instance, when we implement the beverage container return scheme, which will cover plastic bottles as well as metal cans, the recycling rate for these used beverage containers will increase and is likely to reduce the contamination rate in our blue recycling bins or the recycling chutes; which means that the recycling rates for the other waste streams in the recycling bins or recycling chutes would increase.

And that is why we think that by having an overall recycling rate target, it provides us with a streamlined approach to track the progress we are making in terms of achieving our vision of a zero-waste nation.

Notwithstanding that, even though we do not have specific targets for certain waste streams, when we implement initiatives to drive the recycling rates for various waste streams – for instance, e-waste – we, actually, do set targets under the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme.

For e-waste, for instance, there is a collection target of 60% for large household appliances and 20% for the rest of the covered products. Similarly, for the beverage container return scheme, in countries that have implemented it, they have achieved collection or return rates of 80% and above. We are, currently, consulting the relevant stakeholders to determine the target return rates that we will set for the Beverage Container Return Scheme. When we implement an EPR for packaging waste, which we are planning to do, we will also similarly set targets for this.

Mr Deputy Speaker: No further supplementary questions? We shall move on to Mr Lim Biow Chuan.