Waste collectors may face more costs as NEA reviews systems
Amresh Gunasingham, Straits Times 21 May 10;
Public waste collectors say their manpower and fuel costs have risen by as much as three times since 2006, due to inflation and rising diesel prices. -- ST FILE PHOTO
THE cost to get rid of your rubbish could go up, as the National Environment Agency (NEA) proposes changes to the way trash is collected and sorted.
The Straits Times has learnt that the agency, which regulates the waste management industry, is reviewing the present collection and recycling systems.
Proposed ideas include installing recycling bins in more HDB blocks, up from the present ratio of one for every five, while the practice of having recyclable material collected from your doorstep every fortnight could be scrapped altogether.
Any proposed changes, said the NEA, will provide a higher level of service to households, while taking into consideration the needs of public waste collectors and meeting overall recycling targets.
New initiatives could be in place as early as next year, when the waste collection contracts in two areas - Tampines and Bedok - are up for renewal.
Whether waste collection fees in these areas will change will depend on the value of the bids placed when a tender is called by NEA later this year, The Straits Times understands.
But industry experts say prices are likely to head north as the proposed requirements - such as added recycling bins and increased collection points - will only add to what the public waste collectors say are escalating operating costs.
Currently, the fee structure is designed to differentiate among flats, houses, markets and businesses, ranging from as low as $4.31 per flat to $24.08 for landed property owners.
Since 1999, when the industry was privatised, fees have fallen - from a high of about $9 per flat to the current average of around $6. The last change in fees took place in 2006.
But since then, public waste collectors say they have seen their manpower and fuel costs soar by as much as three times, due to inflation and rising diesel prices. The competition to provide good service has also seen investments made in recycling infrastructure, transport trucks and training workers.
Such factors will be taken into account when NEA starts the tender process for Tampines and Bedok.
An NEA spokesman said that it will be 'adopting best sourcing, rather than cheap sourcing, for its contracts to raise the overall standards of public waste collection'.
Rubbish collection in Singapore is divided into nine geographical sectors and shared by four players - Veolia, Colex, SembWaste and 800 Super Waste Management.
