Singapore’s first nationwide electrical and electronic waste (e-waste) management system will start on 1 July 2021. The new system will make it more convenient for consumers to recycle their e-waste, while ensuring e-waste is managed effectively, efficiently and in an environmentally sustainable manner. The system comes as a result of NEA’s extensive industry consultation [1] since 2015 to co-develop a regulated e-waste management system for Singapore.

E-waste is one of the priority waste streams identified under Singapore’s Zero Waste Masterplan. The e-waste management system ensures that e-waste is properly treated in order to protect the environment and public health, while valuable resources are recovered. The system is part of the circular economy approach that Singapore is adopting in our move towards being a Zero Waste Nation.

Singapore’s Approach to Managing E-Waste

The e-waste management system is based on the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) approach, where producers are responsible for managing the end-of-life disposal of electrical and electronic products that they supply to the Singapore market. Regulated products comprise ICT equipment, large appliances, light bulbs and tubes, batteries, and solar photovoltaic panels.

Producers that supply regulated products to consumers in quantities that exceed the prescribed supply thresholds [2] are required to join and finance the Producer Responsibility Scheme. NEA has licensed ALBA E-Waste Smart Recycling [3]  to operate the Producer Responsibility Scheme (PRS) to perform the collection and proper treatment of regulated e-waste on behalf of Producers. Producers that supply regulated products for industrial and commercial use will collect end-of-life products from their clients at no additional charge, and send the products for proper treatment and recycling.

Retailers also play an important role in the management of e-waste. Under the Resource Sustainability Act (RSA) [4], retailers that operate outlets with a floor space of 300m² or more will set up in-store collection services for the types of consumer electrical and electronic products they sell. These collection services can be in the form of over-the-counter services or e-waste recycling bins. These retailers will also offer their customers free take-back services for discarded products of the same type on a one-for-one basis. The discarded products are to be picked up upon delivery of new products, regardless of brand and where the product was purchased.

Multiple Avenues for Public to Recycle E-Waste

6               From 1 July 2021, the public can recycle regulated e-waste [5] comprising ICT equipment, large appliances, light bulbs and tubes and batteries, through multiple collection avenues. These avenues [6] include:

i)               More than 300 e-waste recycling bins at various public locations

ii)              Quarterly collection drives at residential estates

iii)             Bulky item disposal services provided by Town Councils for large household appliances

iv)             Free one-for-one take-back of discarded end-of-life products of the same type provided by retailers upon delivery of a new product

v)              Over-the-counter collection services provided by retailers at some of their outlets

vi)             On demand (chargeable) doorstep collection services provided by ALBA E-Waste

vii)           Drop off at ALBA E-Waste depot at 20 Tuas Loop, Singapore 637350

7               ALBA E-Waste will collect the e-waste from these avenues and channel it to licensed e-waste recyclers. These e-waste recyclers will ensure that all data stored on data-containing devices are permanently erased or destroyed before the device is prepared for reuse or recycled.

Update on the Soft Launch of the E-Waste Recycling Bins

On 4 June 2021, NEA and ALBA E-Waste jointly announced [7] the soft launch of e-waste recycling bins at nine selected Dairy Farm Group and Harvey Norman outlets. As of 29 June 2021, more than a tonne of e-waste has been collected, comprising mainly printers, mobile phones, light bulbs and personal computers. This response to the e-waste recycling bins is promising, and the public can look forward to even more bins being deployed across publicly accessible areas including town centres, shopping malls, government buildings, Residents’ Committee Centres, community centres, supermarkets and retail outlets.

Reducing E-waste Generation

It is estimated that Singapore generates around 60,000 tonnes of e-waste each year. While the new e-waste management system will ensure the proper treatment of e-waste, each of us can play our part in reducing the amount of e-waste generated at the onset. We can help reduce e-waste by carefully considering the need to purchase new products, by repairing our products and choosing second-hand products over new products. We can also donate devices that are in good, working condition to those in need. If the electrical and electronic equipment cannot be reused or repaired, we should ensure that our e-waste is sent for proper treatment and recycling via the channels set up and not discarded as general waste.

Organisations which utilise ICT equipment in their daily operations should also consider adopting SS 587, the Singapore Standard for the management of end-of-life ICT equipment, which guides organisations in formulating and implementing a corporate environmental policy to manage end-of-life ICT equipment in an environmentally sustainable manner.

For more information about the e-waste management system, please refer to Annex D or visit https://go.gov.sg/e-waste and www.alba-ewaste.sg. An infographic about the kinds of e-waste that can be recycled under the e-waste management system, and the avenues for recycling can be found in Annex E.