HDB introduces new waste collection system in Yuhua

The installation of a pneumatic waste conveyance system in Yuhua is the Housing and Development Board’s largest set-up so far.
Alice Chia Channel NewsAsia 1 Jun 15;

SINGAPORE: Yuhua residents can expect less odour and fewer pests in their vicinity, as the first phase of a new waste collection system is rolled out.

Previously, workers had to collect and transport waste from refuse chutes to the bin centre. With the installation of a pneumatic waste conveyance system in Yuhua, this automated system will be the Housing and Development Board’s (HDB) largest set-up so far.

When residents throw rubbish down their chutes, it goes to a refuse chamber on the ground floor. A sensor will be triggered when the container in the refuse chamber is full. The waste is then transported by air, through underground pipes. It travels at speeds of between 50 and 80 kilometres per hour, to a centralised bin, where the rubbish is stored in sealed containers.

When they are full, trucks will transport them to incineration plants. As for the exhaust air, it is passed through dust and odour filters. The clean air is then discharged into the atmosphere. With the process being automated, overall manpower needs are expected to be reduced by 70 per cent.

Residents in six blocks of flats - Blocks 221A, 222, 223,226,227 and 228 - in Jurong East Street 2 have been using the system since early May. The system will be rolled out to 32 other blocks by the third quarter of this year.

To encourage more to recycle, residents will also be able to put items for recycling at 24 points throughout the estate, called outdoor disposal inlets. These items will be passed through the underground pipes to a separate container in the bin.

HDB's deputy director in technology research, Tan Chek Sim, said: "PWCS (pneumatic waste conveyance system) in Yuhua helps to collect and manage the household waste more effectively and efficiently. It also gives the residents a cleaner and greener environment.

“As Yuhua is a lived-in environment, HDB took great care to minimise the inconvenience to the residents. We also actively engage the residents on the progress of the works. We are glad that the residents have given us their support for our efforts."

Residents Channel NewsAsia spoke with said they have noticed the changes. Jocelyn Ng, 60, who has been living in Jurong East for about 30 years, said: "It looks better because workers are not going round collecting rubbish from the rubbish chutes. There is less smell." She added that it was also cleaner and more hygienic.

Another Jurong East resident, 62-year-old Lim Ah Choo, said: "We realised it is a lot cleaner. In the past, when we met at the void deck, we found it rather smelly. We hope people will come around and explain to us on how to use the system. It will be embarrassing if we use it wrongly."

HDB staff will be visiting residents to explain the dos and don'ts of using the system. For example, bulky items such as bamboo poles and pillows should not be thrown into the chutes because they will choke the system.

If a blockage occurs, one of the ways to clear it is to increase the speed of the exhaust fan. This will create a greater suction force to move the rubbish causing the blockage. Otherwise, staff will have to get to the blockage through manholes to manually remove the item.

These efforts are part of HDB's Greenprint scheme in Yuhua which aims to create more sustainable homes. Yuhua is the first HDB estate to be part of this scheme.

It is expected to cost S$23 million based on preliminary estimates. The final cost will only be known after its completion later this year, with the pneumatic waste collection system taking up more than 50 per cent of the costs due to its large scale and the extensive underground network of pipes that need to be installed.

HDB is test-bedding the system at Yuhua to determine its feasibility for existing buildings. It is also assessing residents' receptiveness, as major retrofitting works are required to install the system in existing estates.

The system will be implemented in the upcoming housing estates of Tampines North, Bidadari and Punggol Northshore.

Automated system makes garbage disposal cleaner
Today Online 2 Jun 15;

SINGAPORE — Under 60 seconds — that is how long it takes for rubbish across the neighbourhood of Yuhua to reach a Centralised Bin Centre, sucked through underground pipes that are half a metre in diameter.

In fact, once residents throw waste down the rubbish chute, it will not be seen again until it reaches Tuas for processing and incineration.

This has been a way of life since early last month for residents of six of the 38 blocks with the largest pneumatic waste conveyance system in Singapore, in the first phase of retrofitting the estate with the automated system.

The new system is being constructed as part of the Housing and Development Board’s Greenprint project, which aims to make mature estates green and sustainable.

Yuhua is the first estate to be part of the scheme, and more than half of the estimated cost of S$23 million will be used for the pneumatic waste conveyance system.

The system sucks disposed waste from refuse chambers at blocks at speeds of 50kmh to 80kmh through underground pipes.

This does away with the need for waste collectors to go block to block and collect waste, cutting down manpower needs by 70 per cent. It also a cleaner alternative to waste collection, as it is completely enclosed, reducing spillage, risk of pests and unpleasant odours, said the HDB.

Blocks 209 to 240 at Jurong Street 21 are scheduled to be retrofitted with the system by the third quarter of this year. The underground pipe network that is being installed spans an estimated 4.6km and is a major part of the Greenprint project to transform Yuhua into a more sustainable neighbourhood.

The HDB has done small-scale tests of the new waste system in precincts such as Choa Chu Kang, Kim Keat and Clementi, but never an entire neighbourhood as with Yuhua, said HDB deputy director of technology research, Mr Tan Check Sim.

He called Yuhua the test bed, with future Greenprint projects relying on its success and residents’ receptiveness. “As Yuhua is a live-in environment, the HDB took great care to minimise the inconvenience to the residents,” added Mr Tan.

One resident, Mrs Jeanie Eng, said the construction process was smooth and that the inconveniences were well-managed and minimal. “They’re building something for our own good, so we don’t mind if we have to suffer a bit,” she added.

The upcoming HDB precincts of Punggol Northshore, Bidadari and Tampines North will also be equipped with the pneumatic waste collection system, as a way to “bring better living to HDB towns”, said HDB chief executive officer Cheong Koon Hean.

Waste vacuum system offers Yuhua a breath of fresh air
Yeo Sam Jo My Paper AsiaOne 2 Jun 15;

FOUL-SMELLING rubbish chutes will soon be a whiff of the past at Jurong's Yuhua estate, as blocks there get retrofitted with high-tech waste collection infrastructure.

Since early last month, six blocks in Yuhua have been using the pneumatic waste conveyance system. It uses vacuum-type underground pipes to automatically gather household garbage, doing away with the usual manual method of collection, and the accompanying pests and smell.

For residents, they simply throw their waste down the chute as normal, but underground, it is sucked away to a central bin centre. A total of 38 blocks in the estate, or about 3,200 households, will have it by the third quarter of this year, as part of the Housing Board's Greenprint programme.

If deemed feasible, the stem will be rolled out to other housing estates.

As waste collectors need to retrieve garbage from only one point and less frequently, this system is estimated to reduce manpower needs by about 70 per cent, said HDB's deputy director of technology research Tan Chek Sim.

He added that this method gives residents a cleaner and greener environment.

Said Mr Tan: "The entire time, rubbish is not exposed. There is no spillage so there is less smell."

Residents in blocks which have piloted the system agreed.

"We don't have to worry so much about pests like cockroaches now," said housewife Helen Leong, 45.

Retiree Kwek Han Tiang, 67, added: "It's great that we have new technology like this. Singapore is a First World country after all."

HDB cautioned that bulky items such as bamboo poles and pillows might choke the pipes, which are 50cm in diameter and span about 4.6km.

But if this happens, the suction power will be automatically increased to unclog the blockage, said Mr Tan. There are also manholes which allow for manual access to the pipes if needed.

While this system has been test-bedded at some HDB blocks in Kim Keat, Choa Chu Kang and Clementi, Yuhua is its largest implementation in Singapore. Upcoming housing projects at Tampines North, Bidadari and Punggol Northshore will also come with it.

The Greenprint scheme for Yuhua, which started in 2012 and will end this year, aims to transform the estate into Singapore's first green neighbourhood. It is estimated to cost about $23 million.

Other green initiatives include rooftop solar panels and double-tier bicycle racks.

The pneumatic waste collection system is expected to take up more than half the cost, given its large scale and extensive network of underground pipes, said HDB.