SINGAPORE: Singapore’s only landfill, Semakau, is now more than half full and environmental experts are sounding the alarm on the need for people to reduce their waste – and fast.
The plot of land, which is larger than 650 football fields, has two parts. The first is nearly at maximum capacity, while the other is around 10 per cent filled.
The 350ha landfill, which has enough space to hold waste the capacity of 11,200 Olympic-sized swimming pools, is expected to reach full capacity by 2035.
The rubbish produced by nearly 6 million people in Singapore is incinerated, resulting in over 2,000 tonnes of ash and non-incinerable waste like sludge getting sent to Semakau every day.
“We have a real problem in Singapore and rising production of waste by consumers and by households is clearly the main reason for us having this concern,” said Associate Professor Johan Sulaeman, director of the Sustainable and Green Finance Institute at the National University of Singapore (NUS).