Singapore’s Waste Management

Question 1

The Amager Bakke combined heat and power (CHP) complex

Answer 1

. In Copenhagen
. Cost $611m
. Generates heat + electricity for 150,000 home
. Capacity to treat 400,000t of waste annually
. Ski slope on roof to offer recreation

Question 2

Redditch crematorium

Answer 2

. Uses heat from burning to heat a swimming pool

. Reduces gas bill by 40%

Question 3

Singapore Semakau Landfill Site (waste rise)

Answer 3

. Waste has risen from to just under 8,600t a day

. Items that cannot be sorted or recycled are sent to waste to energy plants

Question 4

Singapore Semakau Landfill Site (location + history)

Answer 4

. Located on the eastern side of Pulau Semakau
. 4km to the south of Singapore
. Originally the home of subsistence fishermen living in stilt huts
. Taken over by the Singapore government and turned into a reclaimed waste deport
. World’s first offshore landfill

Question 5

Singapore Semakau Landfill Site (cost)

Answer 5

. The first phase was completed in 1999, at a cost of S$610 million
. Phase 2 expansion began in Jan 2014 and was completed mid-2015 at a total cost of S$36 million

Question 6

Singapore Semakau Landfill Site (waste storage)

Answer 6

. 3.5 square km contained area
. Total capacity of more than 60 million cubic metres
. Island will continue to swallow Singapore’s rubbish until it is full up in 2045

Question 7

Singapore Semakau Landfill Site (waste transportation) - not crucial to learn

Answer 7

. Waste is loaded into one of six barges, each holding 3,500 cubic metre of waste, then transported to the Semakau landfill using three pusher tugs.
. The mix of waste is roughly 65% ash, and 35% non-incinerable landfill.
. Excavators unload the solid waste and drop it into off road dump trucks which travel to a tipping site
. Bulldozers level and compact the waste
. Each cell is covered with earth

Question 8

Singapore Semakau Landfill Site (environment)

Answer 8

. Tidy place and well managed
. Vibrant marine eco system with grassland
. Much of the waste is delivered in the form of incinerated ash
. Singapore experiences high rainfall and the landfill pits could overflow - treatment plans to avoid contamination
. Landfill pits are all lined to contain ash + rainwater but has a limited life span

Question 9

Singapore Semakau Landfill Site (sustainability)

Answer 9

. Home to the largest barramundi farm
. Strong current and high oxygen content, helps fish growth
. 90 hectares of the island could be turned into a self-sustaining eco-park could see renewable fuel like solar poer
. In 2017, Singapore’s largest wind turbine was set up on the island and a solar generation plant

Question 10

Waste management in Singapore

Answer 10

. Integrated planning = 0 waste and 0 landfill
. integrated solid waste management system that incorporates recycling, collection and disposal
. Working with key groups in the private and government sectors and general public
. Target to reduce waste production
. Reduce waste generation e.g. careful designs
. Companies pay for collection and disposal
. Promote recycling, bags and bins are distributed which are collected once every 2 weeks
. 6000 public recycling bins
. Incineration reduces waste volume by 90%