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RECYCLING
145
July14
The discovery of the rubbish chute is rated as an
“Aha!” moment for many people when moving for
the first time into a condo in Singapore. No more
midnight trips to push a heavy green bin onto
the side of the street for weekly collection (often
wearing only an inadequate dressing gown). With
the chute, in one push the rubbish is gone, never
TUAS
TRANSFER
STATION
BARGES
SEMAKAU
LANDFILL
Sorted waste is baled and
sent to local and overseas
recycling plants.
Waste is transported by
barge to the 350-hectare
Semakau Landfill, 8km
south of Singapore
Waste is unloaded into
35-tonne dump trucks and
deposited as landfill; this
is covered with soil and
planted with trees and
shrubs. Semakau can take
waste until about 2035.
The island supports a coral
reef, mangroves and fishing.
Visitors are welcome.
Waste is incinerated at 850 to 1,000
degrees Celsius, reducing its total
volume by
Heat from the combustion process
generates steam in boilers that is
used to drive turbo generators to
produce electricity.
Air in the refuse bunker is kept
below atmospheric pressure to
prevent odours escaping into the
environment.
A flue gas-cleaning system removes
dust and pollutants so the air meets
environmental standards before its
release into the atmosphere.
Ash and non-incinerable waste from waste-
to-energy plants is sent for transfer.
Ferrous scrap metal in the ash is recovered
and sold to a local steel mill for recycling.
The first WTE plant opened in 1979,
ending years of reliance on landfills.
2 012 : A n a v e r a g e
of
2,300
tonnes was
received daily.
Photo: National Environment
Agency of Singapore, 2014
to be thought of again. The threat of disposal of a
toy or uneaten meal can also prove a useful child
behaviour management tool.
Jokes aside, what happens to rubbish once it’s
disappeared down the chute? And where do the
recyclables end up after they’ve been deposited
in a recycling bin? Here’s a guide.
Source: National Environment Agency
2013 :
7. 85
million tonnes
of waste. 4.82
million tonnes or
was recovered
for recycling.
61%
90 percent
WASTE TO
ENERGY
PLANTS