SINGAPORE: Households in Singapore can
expect to gradually pay more to have their trash collected.
The National Environment Agency (NEA) said the move is aimed at
uplifting the waste collection industry, which is struggling with
rising operating costs while it grapples with improving service
standards.
Industry players said these challenges have been made harder by
government contracts that have locked in fees for the past seven to
eight years, with no provision for adjustments.
With several contracts up for renewal over the next few years,
the NEA, which manages the public waste
collection scheme, is looking to reshape the industry.
For the purpose of waste management, Singapore is currently
divided into nine sectors, served by four companies. This will be
reduced to six sectors, to help companies achieve economies of
scale.
Andrew Tan, CEO of the National
Environment Agency, said: “This in turn will translate into greater
affordability and at the same time, giving opportunities for the
waste collectors to invest in the capital, in the training of their
workforce and also the equipment needed to do a good job in terms
of waste collection.”
Chairman of the Waste Management and Recycling Association, Guah
Eng Hock, also pointed out that waste collection companies are
required in their contracts to have a recyclable sorting facility
in each sector. He said that with the larger sectors, companies
will be able to enjoy greater economies of scale.
A standard waste collection fee will also be introduced.
Today, households pay as little as S$4.03 per HDB flat, or as high as S$22.50 for a landed home.
Prices also differ between estates. For example, HDB flats in the city area currently pay S$4.03, while
those in Pasir-Ris and Tampines fork out S$6.87. The difference in
pricing is due to separate contracts being called for each sector,
subjected to open bidding.
Moving forward, all households will pay a “uniform fee” –
depending on whether it is an HDB flat or
landed property. The fee will be derived from the weighted average
of successful tender bids submitted by public waste collectors.
The first to come under the new fee structure will be households
in Pasir-Ris, Tampines and Bedok.
From July, HDB properties in those areas
will pay S$7, while landed homes will pay S$23.19.
The NEA said households would have had to
pay more, if the new uniformed fee structure was not applied. The
new uniformed fee structure will be progressively rolled out to the
rest of Singapore by 2015.
In return for higher fees, waste collection companies will have
to meet higher service standards. This includes having quieter and
cleaner vehicles, and responding quicker to public feedback.
Companies will also have to provide better incentive schemes to
encourage households to recycle.
Singapore’s only landfill on Semakau island is currently at half
its capacity, and is expected to run out of space by 2040. Thus,
recycling remains a key strategy for managing waste in Singapore
and the government hopes that consumers and businesses will start
at the source – by sorting their recyclables from other waste.
Singapore’s recycling rate currently stands at 59 per cent – a
long way from its long-term target of 70 per cent.
-CNA/ac
