NEWSand, NEWOil part of efforts to be circular economy

Singapore

THE Singapore government is looking to work with the industry on the possibility of producing NEWSand on a commercial scale, as part of plans to support Singapore's transition into a circular economy, Senior Minister of State for Environment and Water Resources Amy Khor said.

NEWSand comes in different forms and can be made by treating incineration bottom ash (IBA) or developed from slag, the by-product of the gasification of municipal solid waste, according to a joint statement by the Ministry of Environment and Water Resources and the National Environment Agency (NEA).

On Wednesday, Dr Khor said during the ministry's Committee of Supply debate in Parliament that NEA will launch a Request for Information exercise by mid-year for a commercial-scale facility to turn IBA into NEWSand. This means the agency will gather information from industry on commercially-ready IBA treatment methods, the resources needed for a NEWSand production facility and any potential off-take arrangements, the joint statement said.

At the same time, Dr Khor said, the government will test potential NEWSand materials in road construction along Tanah Merah Coast Road this year.

Meanwhile, the government has also set its sights on NEWOil, which could be created through chemical recycling.

Dr Khor said not all plastic waste - for example, contaminated plastic bags - is suitable for mechanical recycling. "Chemical recycling can potentially convert these plastics into higher-value products, like pyrolysis oil, which is a potential feedstock for Singapore's petrochemical sector," she told the House.

NEWOil can help to strengthen Singapore's resource resilience, similar to NEWater and NEWSand.

"If successful, this will move us closer to both our goals of being a zero-waste nation and a low-carbon economy," Dr Khor said.

She added that the ministry is working with the Economic Development Board of Singapore and industry partners to look into establishing a pilot plant that will help anchor the chemical recycling value chain in Singapore within the next few years.

To provide a steady supply of feedstock for recycling, Dr Khor said, NEA will implement a Deposit Refund Scheme for beverage containers by 2022. This will be the first phase of the government's extended producer responsibility approach for packaging waste management.

Dr Khor said countries like Norway and Germany have achieved high recycling rates of over 80 per cent for beverage containers after implementing a similar scheme, adding that the government will conduct industry consultations this year.

In addition, it will be mandatory from July for companies that supply regulated goods into Singapore as well as retailers to report data annually on the amount of packaging that they put into the market.

"This will make companies more aware of their packaging use and encourage them to optimise it, thereby minimising waste and also reducing business costs," Dr Khor said.

As for electronic waste, Dr Khor said NEA will launch a tender to appoint an operator for the Producer Responsibility Scheme. The operator will take charge of the collection and proper treatment of e-waste in Singapore. TES-B, a new lithium-ion battery recycling facility will be completed this year, while two recycling facilities by EWR2 and SMC Industrial will be completed by mid-2020 and mid-2022 respectively. *