Economic development in Singapore is fostering prosperity within the country while also contributing to an uptick in hazardous waste volumes. About 500,000 tons of hazardous waste were collected in 2023 and the volume is expected to grow by 2-3 percent annually. As Singapore continues to drive economic expansion, analysis suggests that growth in waste volumes would be largely found in key development-focused industries such as pharmaceuticals, electric vehicle manufacturing, and semiconductor production. As waste volume continues to grow, coupled with tighter regulations, management of hazardous waste might just be the next big thing.
Types of Waste
Hazardous waste can be largely classified into medical waste, chemical waste, and e-waste. Depending on the chemical compositions, each type necessitates distinct treatment processes to ensure safe handling and disposal. For example, in the pharmaceutical industry, all medical waste will need to be incinerated whereas chemical wastes from semiconductor plants can be typically treated through the water treatment facility, at a lower cost. Furthermore, some industries that allow the use of a recycled solvent will find it cost effective and environmentally friendly to recover the solvent rather than incinerating it. E-waste, on the other hand, focuses more on proper recycling and disposal methods including material recovery and data erasure.
Unlike municipal waste, hazardous waste management encompasses several crucial stages which are closely monitored by the National Environmental Agency (NEA). It begins with waste collection using specialized container trucks equipped with real time GPS tracking systems, followed by transportation to treatment facilities for segregation, material recovery through distillation or incineration. Once treated, the waste is then disposed of or recycled in compliance with regulatory requirements.
The Growing Need for Waste Management
For manufacturing companies, management of hazardous waste is “non-core” yet critical to maintain plant operations. Any infringement of local regulations could result in a complete halt in production or even permanent closure. In 2019, 38 companies ranging from electronics product manufacturing to printing and packaging were penalized and prosecuted for illegal disposal of wastewater.
MNCs, who are often very image conscious, like to use trusted
providers of waste management to avoid headaches of irresponsible
disposals later. This translates into a sticky customer base for
the most reputed waste management actors, despite short contract
lengths. As the complexity of waste increases with the rise of
specialty chemicals and new industries in Singapore such as
aerospace and electric mobility vehicles, there's a growing
demand for waste managers to offer more custom-made, premium
solutions.
In Singapore, the hazardous waste collection landscape features
both global operators and local companies. Out of over 200
NEA-licensed operators, only seven are fully integrated operators
with key treatment process capabilities such as hazardous waste
incineration, waste or water treatment facilities and e-waste
recovery. As the market evolves, there might be a potential
consolidation among waste management operators, giving rise to
larger and more integrated operators to deliver comprehensive and
innovative solutions to meet the evolving needs of the
industry.
For operators, the key to success in hazardous waste management is the ability to organize the waste management process professionally at high levels of operational efficiency (e.g., at more than 90 percent overall equipment efficiency of incinerators and automation of processes), especially for labor-intensive work such as sorting and material handling. For larger scale plants, there is an additional "icing on the cake” through energy recovery e.g., turbines – but a consistent volume of waste is necessary here.
Hazardous waste management, being a key enabler for economic growth, will continue to grow in terms of demand. As the complexity of waste increases (types of waste and chemical composition), operators will need to elevate their operational performance and technical know-how to remain relevant and competitive.
Originally published by FIRM on the 22th of february, 2024.
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