About 6% more waste generated in Singapore in 2022; recycling rate increased slightly

SINGAPORE: As economic activity continued to pick up, more loss was produced in Singapore in 2022, the next date in a row.

Around 7.39 million tonnes of solid waste were generated last year. This is an increase of about 6 per cent from the 6.94 million tonnes in 2021, according to the National Environment Agency’s (NEA) annual waste and recycling report released on Wednesday (May 3).

Last year, the amount of waste from the domestic sector — households and commercial spaces like schools and hawker centers — increased from 1.82 million tons to 1.86 million tonnes.

The amount of waste produced in the non-domestic area, including industrial buildings and industry, increased from 5.12 million tons to 5.53 million kilos in 2022.

Reuse rates increased as well. & nbsp,

4.19 million of the 7.39 million tonnes of loss produced were recycled. This translates to an a & nbsp recycling rate of 57 % in 2022, an increase from 55 % in the prior year and 52 % in 2020.

Because less paper waste was recycled, the most recent number was still lower than pre-COVID levels of 59 % in 2019.

Singapore wants to reach a 70 % overall recycling rate by 2030 as part of its Zero Waste Masterplan.

The private recycling rate decreased from 13 percent to 12 percent, but it is now 72 percent instead of 70 percent. & nbsp,

That is partly because less paper, cardboard, textile, and leather waste, which are typically exported for recycling, has been recycled, according to NEA. Due to high transport costs, less was exported next year.

Paper and cardboard waste made up 14.4 % of all waste produced in 2022, while cloth or leather waste accounted for 3.4 percent.

Due to their lower valuation than half exported metal waste, these two spend streams are more susceptible to fluctuations in freight rates, according to NEA.