Per capita daily
domestic waste decreased by more than 20 per cent over the past decade; per billion
dollar GDP daily non-domestic waste decreased by more 30 per cent over the same
period. The recycling rate continues to hover around 50 per cent.
Singapore, 23 July 2025 – Singapore
continued to see a decrease in waste generation rate in 2024. The daily
domestic waste[1]
generated per capita decreased from 0.88 kg in 2023 to 0.85 kg in 2024.
The daily non-domestic waste [2] generated
per billion dollar Gross Domestic Product (GDP) decreased from around 25 tonnes
in 2023 to around 23 tonnes in 2024. This reflects the sustained reduction
and reuse efforts by households and businesses in 2024.
Per capita
and per billion dollar GDP waste generated decreased in past decade
2 Over the past decade, daily domestic
waste generated per capita decreased by more than 20 per cent, and daily non-domestic
waste generated per billion dollar GDP decreased by more than 30 per cent.
1. Chart on the daily domestic waste generated per capita from 2014 to 2024.
Fig.
2. Chart on the daily non-domestic waste generated per billion dollar GDP from
2014 to 2024.
Recycling rate continues to hover at around 50
per cent
3
Overall
recycling rate continues to hover at around 50 per cent (refer to Table 1 in Annex). The recycling rate of paper/cardboard, food, and plastics remained
similar. The slight reduction in recycling rate is driven largely by the
reduction in the amount of Construction & Demolition (C&D) waste (by
122,000 tonnes) and used slag (by 63,000 tonnes) generated, which are almost
completely recycled. This resulted in a corresponding reduction in overall
recycling volume. Additionally, there was a reduction in the amount of wood
waste recycled, by 49,000 tonnes, due to a short-term reduction
in wood waste processing capacity in 2024 as a result of the closure of one
biomass plant and prolonged maintenance of another.
10-year Recycling Trends
4 Over the past decade, the recycling
rate dropped from 60 per cent in 2014 to 50 per cent in 2024 (refer
to Table 2 in Annex). This is driven by two factors.
a.
There was a 44 per cent and 69 per cent decrease in the volume of C&D waste and used slag generation,
respectively. As C&D waste and used slag are almost fully recycled, the
decrease in volume generated and consequently recycled led to a significant
reduction (7 percentage points) in the overall recycling rate (refer to Chart 1 and Chart
2 in Annex).
This is due to the reduction in C&D waste volume generated from demolition
projects in recent years, while the lower amount of used slag generated is due
to a reduction in steel smelting activities in Singapore.
b.
The amount of paper/cardboard waste generated has been similar between
2014 and 2024, although paper waste generated had been on a downtrend from 2014
to 2019, before rising again post-2019 driven in part by e-commerce packaging.
However, there has been a steep reduction in the paper recycling rate, from 52 per
cent to 32 per
cent (refer to Chart 3 in Annex). The
decline is driven by factors such as the cost of collecting and freight as well
as commodity prices.
Upcoming
efforts to improve recycling of key waste streams
5 NEA
will continue to partner the community and businesses to encourage the
reduction of waste generated and to increase recycling efforts. Our efforts
will be focused on food, paper, and plastics as these make up the largest
amount of waste that is not recycled.
a.
The recycling rate for food waste increased
from 13 per cent in 2014 to 18 per cent in 2024. To drive the reduction and recycling of
food waste, all new large commercial and industrial food waste generators have
been required since March 2024 to segregate, treat and report their food waste.
In addition, we will progressively extend these requirements to existing large
commercial and industrial food waste generators in tandem when the Food Waste Treatment Facility becomes
operational, as we progressively complete the Integrated Waste Management
Facility (IWMF) from 2027 onwards.
b.
To encourage reduction in paper/cardboard waste
and improve recycling rates, NEA supported the development of a set of
Guidelines on Sustainable E-commerce Packaging in March 2025. The guidelines
offer practical 3R (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) strategies tailored to common types
of e-commerce packaging, including cardboard boxes. Furthermore, NEA is looking
to strengthen support for paper recycling, working together with waste
collectors, recycling companies, and the community.
c.
We will also increase plastic recycling through
initiatives such as the beverage container return scheme, which will take
effect next year. Under the scheme, a 10-cent deposit will be fully refunded
when consumers return the empty beverage containers at designated return points
such as reverse vending machines. The scheme will aggregate clean and
high-quality plastic recyclables, which can be made into new products. NEA is
working with the licensed scheme operator, Beverage Container Return Scheme
Ltd. (BCRS Ltd.) on the return point network and deposit refund options to
provide a convenient return and refund journey for consumers, when the scheme
rolls out on 1 April 2026.
Waste
Disposed of
6 Our combined commitment to reducing the amount of waste
generated and improving recycling efforts is reflected in the waste disposed of
at our waste-to-energy plants and Semakau Landfill. While the waste disposal
rate has similarly trended downwards in the last decade, the total amount of
waste disposed of has increased from 3.04 million tonnes in 2014 to 3.33
million tonnes in 2024. This is due to the recycling amount declining faster
than the total amount of waste generated. Hence, the net effect is an increase
in the total amount of waste disposed of. When everyone plays their part to
reduce, reuse, and recycle, we avoid sending waste for disposal, thus reducing
our environmental footprint and extending the lifespan of Semakau Landfill.
7 The latest waste and recycling
statistics can be accessed at go.gov.sg/waste-statistics-and-overall-recycling.
——————
[1] Domestic waste is waste collected from households and trade premises (e.g., shophouses, educational institutions, petrol stations, hawker centres and places of worship).
[2] Non-domestic waste is waste generated at industrial and commercial premises.
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