Measures Taken to Manage E-waste

Mr Chen Show Mao asked the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources (a) what measures are being taken to encourage consumers and waste management companies to adhere to environmentally sound practices in managing e-waste; (b) how effective have these measures been; and (c) whether the Government will consider establishing strict guidelines on e-waste collection, disposal and recycling for consumers, businesses and waste management companies.

Electrical and electronic waste (e-waste) is a key waste stream in Singapore. Approximately 60,000 tonnes of e-waste is generated in Singapore each year. E-waste contains valuable and scarce materials, but also small amounts of hazardous substances, such as mercury and cadmium. The release of such substances into the environment may pose pollution and health problems.

To encourage environmentally sound management of e-waste, my Ministry supports voluntary recycling programmes, such as REcycling Nation's Electronic Waste (RENEW), which is led by Starhub, DHL and recycler TES-AMM. Under this programme, consumers can place their e-waste in bright green e-waste recycling bins which are conveniently located in shopping malls and commercial buildings. The e-waste will then be collected by DHL and delivered to TES-AMM. RENEW, which is an expansion and replacement of its predecessor StarHub E-waste Recycling Programme, now covers almost 280 locations around Singapore. Since 2012, these programmes have collected and recycled about 110 tonnes of e-waste. Businesses that want to recycle their e-waste, can participate in the HP Planet Partners Programme or Dell Recycling Programme. The e-waste collected is sent to e-waste recycling facilities, which are subjected to pollution control requirements.

As the amount of e-waste generated in Singapore is likely to increase as technological advancement leads to faster product replacement, my Ministry has been exploring options for a comprehensive nationwide system for the collection, disposal and recycling of e-waste.

The National Environment Agency (NEA) commissioned a study in March 2016 to develop possible options for an e-waste management system. The ongoing study includes a survey of the entire e-waste collection and recycling value chain, including treatment and disposal. In addition, consultations were conducted in October and November 2016 to seek industry's views on elements of an e-waste management framework. The results from the study and industry consultations are expected to be released this year.