2011 R3C International Symposium: New Developments in Waste Management [Events]

R3C (Residues and Resource Reclamation Centre) is organizing the 2011 R3C International Symposium: New Developments in Waste Management. The symposium will be held on 14 and 15 November at the Nanyang Executive Centre (NEC) of the Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore.

Eleven overseas and 11 local experts will share various topics on waste management in the two-day symposium. The symposium intends to provide a platform for industries, government agencies, and research institutions to exchange global waste management information.

Waste as a Resource: Potentials & Limits [Events]

Date: 31 Aug 2011, 2 – 3.30pm
Speaker: Professor Rainer Stegmann
Register at the SEI website

Source: SEI

Singapore’s Waste Management Industry to Get $5 Million WSQ Training Boost to Raise Productivity Levels [Press Releases]

Singapore, 12 August 2011 – Some 6,000 Singaporean workers in the Waste Management industry are targeted to benefit from a new Singapore Workforce Skills Qualifications (WSQ) programme for the Waste Management industry. These include workers such as Waste Collection Truck Drivers, Fleet and Route Coordinators, Waste Recycling workers, Plant Technicians and Managers.

Mr Lim Swee Say, Secretary-General, National Trades Union Congress, presided at the launch of the programme at Veolia ES Singapore today which was held in conjunction with the graduation of the first batch of workers from the new WSQ programme. This programme was developed by the Singapore Workforce Development Agency (WDA) in collaboration with the National Environment Agency (NEA) and the Waste Management and Recycling Association of Singapore (WMRAS) which has a 95-member base comprising all major Singapore waste management companies. Read more

S$5m to boost productivity in waste management industry [News]

By Saifulbahri Ismail, Channel NewsAsia, 12 Aug 2011.

The waste management industry will get a S$5 million boost to raise productivity.

The investments will be used to improve work processes for tasks like trash collection.

For example, a bin equipped with Radio-Frequency (RFID) technology is able to record data such as the household it is from and the weight of recyclables when the bin is hooked to a truck.

Veolia Environmental Services said this has helped improve productivity by 15 per cent.

Some 6,000 workers in the industry are also expected to benefit from a new workforce skills qualification (WSQ) programme. Read more

WMRAS and NEA Launch Inaugural Solid Waste Management Event in Asia [Press Releases]

Singapore, 5 July 2011 – Waste Management and Recycling Association of Singapore (WMRAS) and National Environment Agency (NEA) launched a brand new trade event, WasteMET Asia, an exhibition and conference in solid waste management and environmental technology. Co-located with Singapore International Water Week and World Cities Summit in July 2012, the inaugural event is proud to have International Solid Waste Association (ISWA) as a strategic partner. WasteMET Asia is also supported by Economic Development Board, International Enterprise Singapore, JTC Corporation, Singapore Exhibition & Convention Bureau, and SPRING Singapore. Read more

21 hotels get award for green ways [News]

Call it a push to stay green.

Since 2009, staff from the InterContinental Hotel Singapore have been sorting its waste into organic and non-organic types at its garbage centre. In doing so, it reduced waste sent to the landfill by 65 per cent last year.

Its guests are encouraged to reuse bathrobes and towels, and change bedsheets only when necessary.

The hotel also uses energy-saving light tubes and bulbs, which save about 80 per cent of energy.

The hotel was among 21 recipients of the Singapore Green Hotel Award, presented by the Singapore Hotel Association (SHA) at the Shangri-La Hotel yesterday. Read more

New 3R Programme to Improve Waste Management and Recycling Rate in the Hotel Industry [Press Releases]

To improve waste management in the hotel industry, the Singapore Hotel Association (SHA) and National Environment Agency (NEA) have jointly launched the “3R (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) Programme for Hotels”, in conjunction with the Singapore Green Hotel Award 2011.

This initiative aims to help hotels achieve better waste management and increase waste recycling rates. This is part of our ongoing outreach effort to encourage different industry sectors to play their part to recycle and contribute towards the recycling rate target of 70% by 2030. Currently, it is estimated that hotels in Singapore produce about 60,000 tonnes of solid waste a year and less than 10% of the waste is being recycled. Read more

Statements by Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, Minister for the Environment and Water Resources, and Dr Amy Khor, Minister of State for the Environment and Water Resources, Committee of Supply Debate [Speeches]

INTRODUCTORY REMARKS (Minister Yaacob Ibrahim)

1. I wish to thank Mr Cedric Foo, our GPC Chairman, and members for their questions and suggestions.

2. Mr Foo asked whether Singapore has been developing sustainably.

3. Over the last decade, we have made good progress in enhancing Singapore’s environment, through the combined efforts of government, businesses and Singaporeans.

4. We are making better use of our resources. Water and energy efficiency have improved, as have recycling rates.

5. The quality of our living environment has also gone up with the upgrading of our hawker centres, sustaining good air quality, and keeping down the incidence of vector borne diseases like dengue. Read more

Building a Fortune From Waste Business [News]

There is a stigma attached to industries such as cleaning and waste collection. So it might come as a surprise that rubbish is actually big business, to the tune of $50 million in revenue for 800 Super Waste, with a lot of potential for growing further.

Just ask 800 Super Waste’s managing director Lee Koh Yong. ‘In 1986, we went into waste disposal because we could see its potential,’ he said in Chinese. ‘As there were more factories and other industrial areas coming up, especially in the Tampines area, we saw good opportunities in this business, as the companies and SMEs there would require such services.’

His timing proved to be fortuitous, as the Ministry of Environment, now the National Environment Agency (NEA), was then focusing on hygiene and health issues. Also, there was a Ministry of Environment mandate for companies to engage licensed waste collectors for disposal of waste, which had to be either taken to landfills or incinerated. Read more

Singapore Tops in Building Policy, Water Management [News]

Singapore is among the top four in a new study ranking Asia-Pacific cities in terms of their ‘greenness’.

The first comprehensive study of this kind in the region, it names Tokyo, Seoul and Melbourne ahead of Singapore for their efforts to reduce their carbon footprint and live in a sustainable manner.

The other cities in the top 10 are Osaka, Sydney, Auckland, Busan, Taipei and Hong Kong.

The study, conducted by consultancy firm Solidiance, looked at economic, environmental and social factors that contribute to how eco-friendly each city is.

The criteria included carbon dioxide emissions, renewable energy use, waste output and management, public transport ridership and water management.

The study highlighted that the urban population has been rising rapidly in the region in recent years, driven by economic growth. Read more

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