What would it take for S'pore to shed the dirty image of its blue recycling bins?
Recycling efforts in Singapore have been stymied by residents who treat the blue bins under the national recycling programme as rubbish bins, sullying batches of recyclables.
SINGAPORE – These days, Singapore is armed with more recycling bins than it has ever had. Yet, households here are recycling less of their waste than they did over a decade ago.
Domestic recycling rates were at an
all-time low of 12 per cent in 2022 and 2023, a far cry from the target of 30 per cent set by the Government for 2030. The waste statistics for 2024 have yet to be released.
The low recycling rate is not because people here are not recycling. A 2023 survey by the National Environment Agency (NEA) found that 72 per cent of households here recycled, up from 64 per cent in 2021.
Instead, recycling efforts have been stymied by those who treat the commingled blue bins under the national recycling programme as rubbish bins, sullying batches of recyclables.
For example, a survey of the overflowing recycling bins near my home revealed contaminants like soiled tissue, a disposable plastic packet with traces of milk tea and an oil stained wrapper in the big blue bins.
The contamination means that about 40 per cent of what goes into these blue bins cannot be recycled .
Against this gloomy backdrop, some organisations are taking matters into their own hands.
The Straits Times
reported last week that a public waste collector and an environmental group here have initiated segregated recycling points that aim to counter the ills of commingled blue bins.
These efforts lowered contamination rates to as low as less than 5 per cent, according to early findings by non-governmental organisation Zero Waste SG.
Segregated recycling infrastructure is also a tried-and-tested solution practised by places famed for their recycling etiquette, like Taiwan, Germany and South Korea. But will this be suitable for an island that is already saturated with hundreds of recycling points in residential estates and public spaces?
Infrastructure aside, people here will also need a refreshed attitude towards waste management if Singapore is to meet its recycling goals .
Singapore's Semakau Landfill is expected to run out of room by 2035, a decade earlier than estimated. This highlights the urgency in developing a culture of recycling to lighten the load on the city-state's sole landfill.
Singapore's recycling blues
At the heart of poor recycling habits in Singapore is a disconnect between top-down recycling policies and waste disposal habits on the ground, argued researchers from NUS' Asia Research Institute and the French National Centre for Scientific Research in a 2024 study.
Through interviews with 114 residents here, the researchers found that most of them were reluctant to recycle because these bins were so badly contaminated with non-recyclables and organic waste .
The lack of a system that rewards good recycling practices and punishes bad ones has resulted in people recycling based on their convenience, the researchers noted.
Singapore has for decades struggled with apathy from its people towards recycling, and parliamentary discussions on the issue go back to the 1990s.
Multiple factors could be at play , found two studies by Zero Waste SG in 2024. These include the greater convenience brought about by rubbish chutes, the extra effort needed to clean recyclables, and a lack of confidence in the efficacy of the recycling process.
The ease of disposing of waste means that rubbish could be chucked without much thought or effort.
Once out of sight, the waste is seamlessly processed by Singapore's three public waste collectors. Most end up incinerated and dumped on offshore island Semakau .
Efforts to make it more convenient for people to recycle have not shown noticeable success.
The Government has mandated recycling chutes at new Housing Board blocks since 2014, followed by certain private residential developments. But the yearly recycling statistics have shown that domestic recycling rates did not improve.
Waste management experts have long recommended that Singapore learn from the policies implemented by economies with sophisticated recycling cultures such as South Korea, Taiwan and Japan.
Users there are charged based on how much waste they throw away, while recycling is generally free.
Taiwan is notable for shedding its image as a 'garbage island' in less than two decades through a concerted combination of strict policies, incentives and public education programmes.
Taiwanese residents, manufacturers and importers are made to pay for waste disposal. Those who do not comply face fines, while whistle-blowers receive financial rewards.
To prevent residents from dumping their household waste in public bins, the Taiwanese government took away most of these bins.
Through these efforts, recycling has become a routine that starts with a dedicated truck that alerts residents to bring down their sorted waste by broadcasting classical music.
While there is no solution that fits every country, the example of Taiwan shows that a tough stance on recycling backed by political will can transform habits.
A fine nation
There are just five years left for Singapore to meet its 2030 recycling targets.
Moreover, the drop in overall recycling rate from 62 per cent in 2013 to 52 per cent in 2023, as well as consistently poor domestic recycling rates, should prompt soul-searching about whether the Republic's current approach to recycling waste is working.
It would certainly be ideal if residents can simply make the practice part of their lives, like the Japanese do with the concept of 'mottainai', which translates as not wasting anything worthy.
But efforts to encourage Singapore residents to recycle have been ongoing since 2001.
Ultimately, the fate of Singapore's recycling habits and infrastructure will rest on how seriously the authorities think recycling is for the nation's future.
In Singapore, imposing fines has shown more success in changing behaviours compared with public outreach campaigns.
In 2021, after years of reminding people to return their trays at hawker centres and coffee shops, NEA made not doing so a fineable offence.
Since then, it has been rare to find a tray lingering on a hawker centre table.

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CNA
4 hours ago
- CNA
New Mandai crematorium and ash-scattering garden to open on Aug 15
SINGAPORE: A new crematorium and ash-scattering garden will open in Mandai on Aug 15, the National Environment Agency (NEA) said on Monday (Jul 28). Located next to the existing Mandai Crematorium and Columbarium complex, the new Mandai North Crematorium will use automated guided vehicles to transport coffins and lockers for ash collection. It has six service and viewing halls and can house 18 cremators, but will begin operations with three halls equipped with nine cremators. It will start with four cremation services daily and ramp up progressively in the coming months. NEA said it will fit out the remaining halls and add the additional cremators to meet an anticipated increase in demand for cremations in future. For comparison, the existing crematorium, which opened in 2004, has four halls and 12 cremators. The crematorium and garden span about 2.4ha, slightly more than half the size of the Padang. Annual resident deaths are expected to increase from about 25,000 in 2024 to around 40,000 by 2040, NEA said. Meanwhile, the demand for inland ash scattering has increased from around 900 applications in 2021 to over 2,300 in 2024. 'The new crematorium will provide additional cremation capacity, and the (Garden of Serenity) will provide an additional option for the inland scattering of ashes,' said NEA. 'They will enable us to continue serving the nation's needs in the years ahead.' Bookings for cremation slots will open on Aug 9, and the crematorium and garden will be open daily. The garden will be open from 9am to 5.30pm except when it is closed for maintenance. Singapore also has two private crematoriums, but NEA handles more than 90 per cent of cremations. ASH-SCATTERING GARDEN The Garden of Serenity is the second inland ash-scattering garden in Singapore, after the Garden of Peace opened in 2021 in Choa Chu Kang. Ashes can also be scattered at sea or stored in columbariums or at home. The Garden of Serenity, which is within the new Mandai North facility, has four ash-scattering lanes in the shape of a leaf. Granite boulders that were excavated during its construction, which started in 2017, are used for seating along the lanes. The garden also features a pond and lush foliage, meant to create a peaceful and dignified environment. Each lane in the garden is named after a flower and is around 10m long. Ashes can be scattered on pebbles, which sit atop granite chippings and soil. Water sprinklers or canisters can be used to help the ashes filter through the layers. Religious ceremonies or rites, including the burning of joss sticks, leaving of food offerings and playing of music will not be allowed. However, fresh flowers can be placed on racks around the garden. At 750 sqm, the Garden of Serenity is much smaller than the Garden of Peace, which is 9,500 sqm in size. NEA said that accumulated "ash soil" will periodically be transferred from the Garden of Serenity in Mandai to a designated location in the Garden of Peace in Choa Chu Kang to ensure that people can continue to use the smaller garden. The fee for ash-scattering at the gardens is S$320. AUTOMATION, QR CODES Mandai North Crematorium will make use of technology to ensure service reliability, including through the use of automated guided vehicles to transport coffins. At the existing crematorium, staff members push a trolley carrying the coffin. Funeral service providers will receive a cremation permit with a QR code, which must be scanned outside the service hall to ensure that the casket is at the right hall at the right time. The automated guided vehicle and screen outside the service hall will also reflect the deceased's name, the date and the time, before the casket is unloaded from the hearse. A QR code on the automated vehicle will be used for verification before the coffin is placed into a cremator. Attendees will then need to be seated before the automated guided vehicle transports the casket to the front of the service hall. The service halls feature slopes instead of steps, to improve accessibility for wheelchair users. At the new facility, the viewing hall – where mourners watch the casket being transported toward the cremators – is located directly in front of the service hall. This is unlike the existing Mandai Crematorium, where the service halls are a distance away from the viewing halls. NEA said the building layout was designed to minimise walking distances, especially for elderly visitors. "A one-way visitor circulation flow caters to back-to-back cremation services, minimising the need for arriving and departing groups to cross paths. This arrangement provides a degree of privacy for each group of visitors and facilitates a sense of closure for the bereaved," the agency said. The new waiting halls at Mandai North Crematorium are also enclosed with glass panels to provide more privacy to families. When the cremated remains are ready, an ash collection permit with a QR code will be sent via email. The registration process will involve verifying the applicant's identity, before a queue number is provided and an ash-sorting room is assigned. When the queue number is called, family members can scan a QR code to unlock a locker containing the ash box. There are three walls of lockers, and the lockers open one at a time for each wall. Families can perform final rites in the ash-sorting room. Each room is equipped with a table, a bench and a wash basin.

Straits Times
5 hours ago
- Straits Times
New Mandai North Crematorium, ash-scattering garden to open on Aug 15
Find out what's new on ST website and app. SINGAPORE – The new Mandai North Crematorium and an ash-scattering garden will open on Aug 15, built in anticipation of more annual deaths with Singapore's ageing population. The crematorium will be the country's fourth such facility, and the second to be overseen by the Government. Bookings for available cremation slots will be released from Aug 9. The current sole government-operated crematorium, Mandai Crematorium, handles more than 90 per cent of all cremations in Singapore. The rest are done in two private crematoriums. There were 26,442 deaths in Singapore in 2024, and this is projected to rise to about 40,000 by 2040, according to the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment. The new Garden of Serenity is Singapore's second inland ash-scattering facility, following the opening of the first in Choa Chu Kang Cemetery in 2021. The new garden is approximately 750 sq m in size. The demand for inland ash scattering has risen, with such requests almost tripling from 900 in 2021 to more than 2,300 in 2024 , the National Environment Agency (NEA) told The Straits Times in May. The new crematorium and garden will enable the Government to continue serving the nation's needs in the years ahead, NEA said in a statement on July 28. The cost to scatter the ashes at either garden is $320. The garden is open from 9am to 5.30pm daily. The Garden of Serenity is located right beside the new crematorium to give easy access to those who wish to scatter their loved one's ashes immediately. A nearby carpark ensures the garden is accessible to those who bring the ashes from home. At the garden, there are four lanes lined with pebbles for families to scatter the ashes. Trees and hedges are planted in between the lanes to provide privacy for families . Similar to the Garden of Peace in Choa Chu Kang, religious ceremonies or rites such as the burning of joss sticks, food offerings or playing of music are not allowed within the garden, to maintain a clean and serene environment. Families and visitors can use a prayer facility beside the garden to conduct simple rites. A section of the Garden of Serenity, where ash can be scattered on the stretch of pebbles provided. ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM Users can apply for ash scattering on NEA's ePortal, The Mandai North Crematorium has been in the works since 2017, but was completed only in 2024 due to issues with construction. The new facilities span approximately 2.4ha. The crematorium houses six service halls and 18 cremators. Currently, three service halls are equipped with nine cremators, and the remaining halls will be filled out at a later date. The new cremation facility has fitted automated guided vehicles to transport coffins from the hearse to the service hall. At the existing crematorium, this is usually done via a trolley that is pushed manually. A self-help system is in place at the ash collection centre to enable family members to collect their loved one's ashes with ease. The Government is studying two sites in Tanah Merah and Mandai for the potential development of a new funeral services and columbarium complex, to meet an expected increase in demand for after-death facilities. 'NEA will continue to plan ahead to ensure sufficient government after-death facilities and services, and to provide these services in a way that allows bereaved families to come together to send off their loved ones with dignity and respect,' the agency said.

Straits Times
5 hours ago
- Straits Times
Science Journals: Lessons from weird fish sold in Singapore's wet markets
Find out what's new on ST website and app. An assortment of seafood is laid on the ground at Jurong Fishery Port. They are placed on ice to retain their freshness. SINGAPORE – Just like how the depths of the deep sea are home to strange, little-known creatures, Singapore's wet markets also dazzle visitors with a rich diversity of seafood. Even after spending a year surveying the seafood sections of markets here, Mr Elliott James Ong and Mr Kenny Lek say there are fish they have seen only once. United by a love for seafood, the pair founded Pasarfish in 2024 . It is an initiative that researches and teaches the sustainable consumption and heritage of seafood sold in supermarkets and wet markets. Despite the long tradition of Singapore's wet markets, little is known about the rich variety of catches that these ageing facilities showcase, with the last catalogue compiled in the 1990s by the Primary Production Department. The median age of market stallholders is 63, according to the National Environment Agency, which manages most of the markets here. Mr Ong, 29, and Mr Lek, 33, started compiling their own catalogue from June 2024 to fill this gap in knowledge. 'Knowing the identities of these fish and their abundance allows us to track their origins, fishing methods and sustainability,' said Mr Ong. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. 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As at July, Pasarfish has collected data on more than 200 species sold in markets here, with the hope of pushing for more traceability and sustainability assessments of Singapore's seafood supply chains. Of all the creatures catalogued from their visits, a strange golden fish from a small bucket at Tekka Market in Little India stands out. The stallholder selling the semi-translucent species told Mr Lek that it was an Asian arowana. But the only resemblance between the mystery specimen and the arowana was a large, upturned mouth. When pressed further, the woman said she had bought the fish from Jurong Fishery Port, which handles the vast majority of Singapore's imported seafood. Mr Lek said: 'They didn't really have an idea of where this species actually came from and whether it was caught on a regular basis. Of all the creatures catalogued from Pasarfish's visits, a strange golden fish from a small bucket at Tekka Market in Little India stands out. PHOTO: PASARFISH 'They just bought it from this fish trader from Jurong Fishery Port from a random bucket.' The fish's identity was unravelled on the same day with the help of Major-General William Farquhar, the first British resident and commandant of colonial Singapore. A Google search of the fish's features netted a 19th-century picture from the Farquhar Collection, a series of watercolour paintings by Chinese artists of flora and fauna that the leader commissioned. Said Mr Ong: 'It was a perfect match.' The painting was labelled in a neat, slanted script, with one of its local names, ikan biang biang, otherwise known as the shorthead hairfin anchovy. The pair theorised that the fish was likely commonly found at markets back then. The mystery of the anchovy stemmed from the fact that it had been forgotten and people now no longer know how to cook it, they concluded. The coastal fish is common in Indonesia and Malaysia, where it is usually fried or salted. In Sarawak, the anchovy features in a raw fish delicacy called umai, where thin slices are cured with the sour juice of a native palm fruit and tossed with tropical herbs. It is unclear why stallholders buy fish they do not know since the species tend to be unpopular with consumers, said Mr Ong, who has encountered such situations several times. He added: 'Honestly, they go at very low prices, so there's no commercial value.' Still, these weird finds can contribute to science. Some of the anchovies were delivered to the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum, where they will remain as physical records of fish sold in Singapore markets. Dr Tan Heok Hui, the museum's senior collection manager of fishes, said the species was collected because it was uncommon in Singapore. 'Once it is deposited in the museum, it provides a time stamp, a possible genetic resource and historical record,' he added. 'The fact that it is uncommon in the trade in Singapore could lead to its inclusion into social history and trends of consumption.' Such resources can aid comparative studies as well as the tracking, tracing and managing of fish reserves. Wet markets can also be treasure troves for discovering new fish. Dr Tan said: 'Not all fish are possible to catch with your own hands or set of tools. I would rely on fisherfolk for their skill set with larger nets to fish from deeper waters.' Through forays into local markets in Indonesia, his team has uncovered new species such as the Crossocheilus obscurus carp and Hemibagrus velox catfish. Yellowtail fish, which are traditionally overharvested, being sorted into baskets at Jurong Fishery Port on June 20. ST PHOTO: ANG QING On a grim note, considering a fish weird can be a symptom of overconsumption. Worldwide, overharvesting has driven marine species' populations down, erasing them from collective memory as they become harder to find. This was witnessed during Pasarfish's market tours to raise awareness about seafood heritage and sustainable consumption, said Mr Lek, when only older folk recognise the species sold. I joined Pasarfish on one such tour at 2am on June 20 to learn more about Jurong Fishery Port, Singapore's sole port for fish. The cacophony of different tongues reflects the international diversity of the port's wholesale market, where about 100 merchants display piles of fresh seafood kept fresh with ice. There was hardly a moment of stillness throughout the two-hour tour. Sweaty men in yellow rubber boots processed prawns, sorted fish and shouted at idle buyers to get out of the way as they dragged baskets of slimy produce. Mr Ong and Mr Lek's knowledge was apparent, as out of more than 80 species of seafood at the port that they shared details about, only one species baffled them. After a brief search online, they identified it on their Instagram page as the Hawaiian ladyfish. Three ocellated parrotfish at Jurong Fishery Port. One of these was given away for free during the June 20 Pasarfish tour, a common practice for unpopular fish. ST PHOTO: ANG QING Another unusual fish we saw is the ocellated parrotfish that a fishmonger gave to Mr Ong for free, a practice often used to dispose of unpopular catch and build rapport. Eating certain fish perceived to be strange, however, can be a good choice, as doing so can be more sustainable for popular species. During the tour, our group of six encountered varying sizes of yellowtail fish, traditionally used to make fish balls. Mr Ong explained: 'This was historically one of the most common fish in Singapore. But they're not as common any more because the fish stocks are depleted.' He pointed out that the smaller yellowtail we spotted were signs of overfishing and unsustainable practices, with the fish not having had time to grow before they were caught. Instead, Mr Ong recommended using a wider range of fish for fish balls to avoid pressuring a single species. Other substitutes that can and have been used include wolf herring, milk fish and pike conger. To help consumers make better choices, Pasarfish plans to launch a guide of 60 common fish from its year-long survey by listing their local names, price ranges and sustainability recommendations.