Regulations to be introduced to reduce e-waste here: Masagos

LOUISA TANG Today Online 1 Feb 18;

SINGAPORE — In a bid to encourage recycling and reduce electronic waste (e-waste) here, the Government will make it mandatory for producers and importers of electronic products to collect and recycle a certain amount of e-waste from consumers.

These companies will have to meet collection targets and be subjected to an incentive or tax system, said Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Masagos Zulkifli at a pre-Budget consultation session on Thursday (Feb 1). The e-waste targets will vary according to how much electronic goods they sell here, and they will have to recycle or dispose the waste properly.

More details on the collection targets and when the laws will be implemented will be revealed after the Budget on Feb 19, said Mr Masagos. “It will be a soft target for a start,” he added.

Companies that do not meet the target could be subject to a levy or a fine. But Mr Masagos said: “We don’t see this coming in early in the process… certainly, the experience all over the world shows that as we ratchet up the targets, many manufacturers start to also get the aggregation process right, and I’m sure this will then lead to what we aspire to.”

The move, which is known as Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) approach, is in line with the practice adopted by countries such as South Korea and Sweden, where 52 per cent of e-waste gets recycled. More than 60 countries have also implemented some form of e-waste legislation.

Before this, most of Singapore’s e-waste recycling efforts centred on raising public awareness and encouraging participation in voluntary recycling programmes.

The idea was first mooted about two weeks ago, when the National Environment Agency revealed that only six per cent of an estimated 30,000 tonnes of e-waste thrown out by households is recycled. On average, each Singaporean generates 11kg of e-waste every year, the equivalent of 73 mobile phones.

Ms Janet Neo, head of corporate sustainability at document processing giant Fuji Xerox Asia Pacific, said collection targets need to be clearly laid out for producers, and they may be difficult to achieve given the logistical challenges.

Fuji Xerox, which also produces commercial and home printers, has had an e-waste recycling scheme in place since 1995. Service engineers pick up unwanted or discarded printers from the consumers free-of-charge, and they are then sent to the company’s eco-manufacturing centre to be recycled or remanufactured.

Ms Neo told TODAY: “The moment consumer products go to retailers and consumers, you can’t track them... How much we can do, we also don’t know, so we need some level of baseline to understand what is even realistic to put as a target, because it has never been done before.”

While Apple declined comment on the announcement, the technology firm stated in their Environmental Responsibility Report 2017 that they are encouraging more consumers to recycle their old devices through the Apple Renew programme. Consumers can bring their devices in to any Apple store or ship them to Apple, which will either refurbish the device for resale or recycle its materials.

Aside from regulations, concerns about consumer behaviour and the current recycling infrastructure were also raised at the consultation session, which involved 37 participants from more than 20 organisations.

Ms Ng Wai Sen from non-government group, Journey to Zero Waste Life, said that “waste is about convenience”, and that Singaporeans need to change their mindset that “new means good”.

She suggested that more people repair their electronic devices rather than discard them when they do not work anymore. To reduce consumerism, educators and the Ministry of Education could also work with primary school children to change mindsets from a young age, added Ms Ng.

Participants in the session also pointed out that infrastructure could be improved, such as installing more e-waste recycling bins and improving the security and design of the bins.

Temasek Polytechnic student Ernst Kwok, a member of the school’s Green Interest Group, said that there have been instances of people trying to break into their bins to steal the electronic goods.

“There is also an issue with accessibility. We initially only installed one bin at the engineering school, but it was in a secluded area,” he said.

“Now we have three bins and within half a month or a month, they will be full.”


Government proposes to regulate e-waste reduction
Deborah Wong Channel NewsAsia 1 Feb 18;

SINGAPORE: Manufacturers and retailers of electronic goods will soon need to take responsibility for the disposal and recycling of their products as the government intends to introduce regulations to reduce electronic waste.

During a pre-Budget consultation session with stakeholders on Thursday (Feb 1), Environment and Water Resources Minister Masagos Zulkifli said the government will adopt the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) approach.

"This means we have a target for the original producers to look at what they can do to retrieve this e-waste that is produced in the first place," said Mr Masagos.

"Put a target, either through an incentive or a tax system, to make sure this is something they can do effectively.”

Mr Masagos said this is a timely move as the improper disposal of e-waste releases toxic chemicals into the environment.

Singaporeans generate 60,000 tonnes of e-waste yearly, and this figure is expected to rise as the country moves towards a digitised future.

EPR isn't a new concept and Mr Masagos said Singapore has to catch up.

He cited an example in Denmark, where the implementation of the EPR framework in 2014 produced a collection rate of 76 per cent of e-waste.

For other countries in the European Union, recyclers are subjected to targets and 80 per cent of large household appliances and 70 per cent of communication technology (ICT) equipment must be recycled.

Manufacturers, retailers and recyclers must also submit regular e-waste reports to authorities.

But Mr Masagos acknowledges that getting stakeholders in Singapore to come on board is not an easy process.

The government will start by setting smaller e-waste collection targets.

“We will take into consideration that it is new, so we will slowly bring it up. Once the system gets better oiled, it will be more successful,” he said.

LOCAL EFFORTS TO RECYCLE E-WASTE

Some local telecommunication companies like Singtel and Starhub have collection points for customers to return old devices while Fuji Xerox has collected used appliances from clients as far back as 1995.

Ms Janet Neo, head of corporate sustainability at Fuji Xerox said that the company has appointed one employee to be a full-time green evangelist, to educate clients on sustainability.

“We realise that in the office, the only person who knows that the product is recyclable is the office manager. So we have appointed one colleague to be a full-time green evangelist to help customers in office management become greener, smarter."

Ms Neo said the company has achieved a recycling rate of 99.9 per cent, as the components used in the products are mostly recyclable.

She was one of the 37 stakeholders present during the consultation session.

Besides revamping corporate practices, participants also said that consumers must change their lifestyle habits, such as repairing products where possible, to minimise wastage.

"Some of the difficulties we face are when people don't want to repair broken products and when people buy new things for the sake of buying,” said Ms Sari Atiqa Ramli, project lead at Sustainable Living Lab.

The social enterprise runs Repair Kopitiam, a community initiative that teaches people how to repair broken appliances to minimise e-waste.

"The things that people throw out are actually in good condition. I would suggest that they give it to someone who needs it more, or even consider using it again till it can't be used anymore," Ms Atiqa added.

If products cannot be repaired, the government is considering involving rag-and-bone men in the e-waste collection process by teaching them proper disposal and recycling methods.

Source: CNA/ad

Regulations will be introduced to ensure e-waste is recycled: Masagos
Samantha Boh Straits Times 1 Feb 18;

SINGAPORE - The Government will introduce regulations to ensure that electrical and electronics items are reused and recycled properly, said Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Masagos Zulkifli on Thursday (Feb 1).

The Republic will adopt the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) approach, where producers and importers of electronic goods will be required to collect the electronic goods they sell in Singapore and recycle them properly. If the goods cannot be recycled, they will have to be disposed of safely.

Producers will have to meet collection targets and tax incentives could be introduced to encourage them in their green efforts.

The implementation date and requirements of the recycling regime will be announced later.

The Extended Producer Responsibility approach has been adopted in countries such as Sweden, which recycles 52 per cent of its e-waste, and Denmark, which has a recycling rate of 43 per cent.

There, large producers have to provide collection points at their stores and provide one-for-one take back services. They are required to meet collection targets set by the government.

"We will start with a soft target," said Mr Masagos.

Singapore produces 60,000 tonnes of e-waste a year. According to a National Environment Agency's recent survey of 1,600 consumers, only a tiny portion of household e-waste - just 6 per cent - is sent for recycling.

Mr Masagos added that the ministry plans to involve the informal waste sector in recycling efforts. This could include teaching scrap dealers and rag-and-bone men how to recycle e-waste properly or involving them in the collection process.

While legislation will provide a more structured system for e-waste to be collected and recycled, there is a need to improve the physical collection infrastructure and to change consumer behaviour.

At a pre-Budget consultation session on e-waste on Thursday, organised by the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources ahead of the Budget on Feb 19, participants said more e-waste collection bins should be placed in neighbourhoods.

"It needs to be almost as easy as getting rid of general waste," said Mr Ashley Tan, 32, a consultant at Deloitte.

He was among 37 participants from more than 20 organisations, including non-governmental organisations and academics, who were at the consultation, which was also attended by Mr Masagos.

Ms Ng Wai Sen, 44, from NGO Journey to Zero Waste Life, said: "We need to change the mindset that new means good."

She said more people can also do their part by trying to repair their electronic devices when the devices break down instead of buying new ones.

Mr Juergen Militz, secretary of the Waste Management and Recycling Association of Singapore, suggested that Singapore takes a leaf out of other countries' book and get manufacturers and importers pay a small fee that will go into a recycling fund.

While recycling companies can profit from recycling laptops and mobile phone as they can extract and then sell the precious metals found in the devices, refrigerators command a negative value as it is costly to dispose of the chemicals in refrigerants.

"If done properly, a balance can be achieved," he said.