SPEECH BY DR YAACOB IBRAHIM, MINISTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT AND WATER RESOURCES, AT THE OPENING CEREMONY OF INTERNATIONAL SOLID WASTE ASSOCIATION (ISWA) / WMRAS WORLD CONGRESS 2008, 03 NOVEMBER 2008, 10:30 AM AT SUNTEC SINGAPORE BALLROOM



Dr Atilio Savino, President of ISWA
Mr Goh Swee Ooi, President of WMRAS
Ms Chew Gek Ghim, Chairman of NEA

Excellencies
Ladies and Gentlemen

Let me first wish all of you – especially our overseas delegates and friends – a warm welcome. I hope that besides networking, you will have the opportunity to take in the sights and sounds of Singapore.  As you would have realised by now, we are a small city-state in a garden setting, with a unique blend of urban living, cultures and cuisines. We have always tried to make the best of our limited space and to keep it clean and green.  I wish all of you a fruitful congress and a memorable stay in Singapore.

UNEP Report

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) recently published the report “Green Jobs: Towards Decent work in a Sustainable, Low-Carbon World”.   The reports says, among other key findings, that the global market for environmental products and services is projected to double from US$1.37 trillion per year at present to US$2.74 trillion by 2020.  Half of this market is in energy efficiency and the rest in sustainable transport, water supply, sanitation and waste management. 

In Germany for example, environmental technology is expected to grow fourfold to 16% of industrial output by 2030, with employment in this sector surpassing that in the country's big machine tool and automotive industries.  Clean technologies are already the third largest sector for venture capital after information and biotechnology in the United States, while green venture capital in China more than doubled to 19% of total investment in recent years.  Recycling and waste management employs an estimated 10 million in China and 500,000 in Brazil today.

The report is timely and serves as a reminder to countries that implementing environmental solutions can bring economic gains too and we can align our environmental goals with our need to grow the economy.

Key Challenges for Asia

The theme for this congress is “East Meets Waste”.  This is very well put to convey an important point.  According to the Asian Development Bank (ADB), there would be one billion more Asian urban residents in 2030. This is expected to put additional pressures on the demand for energy, clean water and good sanitation, including waste management.

The imperative for sustainable development requires higher efficiency in the use of resources to minimize and reduce humanity’s environmental footprint. The learning curve can be shortened with access to the best available international technologies and practices.

Here in Asia, with rising affluence and consumption, waste generation is on an upward trend.  With more waste being generated, more has to be disposed of.  We have to ensure that our environmental and social capacity to absorb this waste is kept up to ensure our people enjoy acceptable standards of environmental public health. 

Singapore’s Experience

In Singapore, we have, since our early developmental years, identified solid waste management as a crucial component of urban planning.  We are a very small island state with one of the highest population densities in the world at 6,500 persons per sq km, and virtually no natural resources.  There are thus competing and conflicting demands for land for our industries, residential estates, commercial buildings, institutions, parks, green areas, etc.

In tandem with population and economic growth, waste disposal has increased six-fold between 1970 and 2000. Although we had built waste-to-energy incineration plants in the 1970s to reduce the footprint of waste generated, the shortage of land led us to decide in 1999 that it was necessary to develop an offshore landfill. Located some 8 km south of mainland Singapore, Semakau Landfill is a unique offshore landfill created entirely from the sea space between what were formerly two small adjacent islands. With careful planning and management, we have provided for incinerated ash disposal in the landfill while preserving the nature around the island.

The National Environment Agency has also been looking into the feasibility of having an Eco-Park on the landfill to provide test-bedding for renewable and clean energy technologies. With this, we can create opportunities for research and development, as well as the application of clean technologies.

Recycling

To reduce pressures for more incineration plants and landfills, we have launched various programmes to encourage recycling in the household, industrial and commercial sectors.

Today, 63% of households participate in recycling, and 96% of our schools and educational institutions have recycling programmes. Overall, our recycling rate has increased from 40% in 2000 to 54% in 2007. The results are encouraging but we have room for improvement, and we will strive to do better.  The CEO of the National Environment Agency will share with you more details on our solid waste management system when he addresses you in tomorrow’s session. Indeed, recycling has already lengthened the expected lifespan of Semakau Landfill to beyond 2040.

Reducing Packaging Waste

Singapore has also moved upstream to reduce waste at source. Last year, our National Environment Agency signed the Singapore Packaging Agreement with 31 organisations, the majority of which were from the food & beverage and packaging industries, with the aim of reducing packaging waste.  Already, within a year of implementation, the signatories have made good progress in reducing waste through redesign of packaging and other innovative measures.  In addition, there are clear signs of gathering momentum as more companies commit to sign the Agreement.

Today, I am very pleased to present the inaugural 3R Packaging Awards to 10 signatories who have made commendable achievements in reducing packaging waste either through redesign of their packaging, or review of packaging processes and practices. Four of these companies will receive distinction awards, for taking that extra effort to educate consumers or implement a sustainable system to reduce packaging waste.

I am also pleased to welcome another 31 more companies as new signatories to the Singapore Packaging Agreement.

Growing the waste and recycling industry

Our strategy to grow the waste and recycling industry is to privatise the services that the government has or had been providing in waste collection and disposal.  We have started the process and refuse collection has been fully privatized.  Waste recycling and the collection and treatment of toxic industrial waste have been provided by the private sector and the government’s role is that of a regulator to ensure that the services are provided in a safe, efficient and effective way.  We have recently announced the divestment of one of our four waste-to energy incineration plant (Senoko Incineration Plant) and a new waste-to-energy plant that is currently under construction in a Design-Build-Own-and-Operate arrangement is scheduled for completion next year.

The National Environment Agency also has a $20 million incentive scheme called the Innovation for Environmental Sustainability Fund that the private sector can tap on to co-fund innovative technologies, including waste technologies.  We welcome the private sector to work with us to develop innovative cost-effective solutions to tackle waste problems and seek to meet the twin goals or environmental sustainability and economic growth.  

Conclusion

In closing, I see a challenging and exciting journey ahead for the waste management industry.  No doubt the challenge of sustainability will be a high mountain, but conquer we must.  The secret is in innovation, building capabilities and the sharing of our expertise.

This Congress offers a great opportunity for the meeting of minds, and I trust that many of you will reap the benefits of this mutual exchange of ideas.  With this, I wish you once again a successful Congress and a pleasant stay in Singapore.