Summary Readers Response Final - Introducing Newoil

 The article “Parliament: Singapore looks to create Newoil by transforming waste plastic into alternative fuel” by Liu (2020), illustrates Singapore’s current and future recycling plans. Currently, the ‘Deposit Refund Scheme’ is one way to encourage citizens to recycle. Citizens that recycle get incentivized with money in return. Liu (2020) mentions Newsand, which is another effort to curb and reduce landfill waste, accomplished by incinerating waste to produce useful construction materials. The promising project prompted the National Environment Agency (NEA) to build a commercial-scale facility to maximize its efficiency. As part of an effort to reduce food waste, Liu (2020) also mentions that by 2024 large food and beverage establishments will be required to separate their food waste for treatment as part of the 'Resource Sustainability Act'. It states that the government pushes large companies to reduce their plastic waste as they are required to record their packaging data and submit it to the NEA for vetting. As a result, Semakau Island will receive less waste. Singapore plans to have three e-waste recycling facilities fully operational by 2022, which can handle more than 50,000 tonnes of e-waste annually. Newoil is also mentioned by Liu (2020), which uses plastic waste to produce pyrolysis oil, an alternative to the use of fossil fuels.  All these measures are part of Singapore's Green Plan 2030. Recycling methods such as Newater, Newsand, and Newoil have demonstrated promising results in meeting the Green Plan 2030 goal.

Newater is one form of recycling Singapore has invested in and has been successful with. According to the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources Singapore (MEWR)(2020), Newater has enabled Singapore to endlessly recycle water, reusing it again and again to produce potable water. Newoil and Newsand are similar to Newater, where they are able to recycle plastic waste and sand aggregates in an effort to produce useful products such as fossil fuels and construction materials. This shows Singapore's capability of being a more independent and self-reliant country.  

Newsand, another recycling method, has shown positive results with its field trials where incinerated waste is turned into sand or granite and used as construction materials for roads and pathways. According to the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources (2020), they believe that Newsand is a sustainable substitute for mined aggregates. Thus, with the implementation of Newsand, it will close the waste loop when waste is incinerated into useful construction materials. It is essential to close the waste loop and seek sustainable substitutes as it will extend the lifespan of the Semakau landfill, where the country’s waste are sent to.

Newoil is the latest recycling method, where plastic waste can be converted into pyrolysis oil to substitute fossil fuels. To tackle Singapore’s rising level of plastic waste, Newoil would be the solution to close the plastic waste loop. Liu (2020) states that if Newoil is successful, it will move Singapore closer to both the goals of being a zero-waste nation and a low-carbon economy.

 Despite Singapore's efforts to meet its Green Plan 2030, the cost and process related to providing these recycling efforts are challenging and expensive. One example mentioned by Liu (2020) was that not all plastics can be chemically recycled such as single-use plastics and contaminated plastics. According to Iswitch(2020), Singapore has a lot of ground to cover in terms of educating its citizens to recycle waste properly and ensuring a less challenging and costly process to chemically recycle its trash into sustainable energy. This shows that although we have the solutions, we still have a great deal of education to provide for a more cost-effective way to process recycled material.

 On the other hand,  Liu (2020) mentions that with the success of Newoil and Newsand, comes future plans to build pilot plants and commercial-scale facilities to cater to the needs and demands of these two recycling processes. In the article “Singapore government’s Green Plan offers new jobs and economic growth” (2021), it states to initiate Singapore to be used as a location for both global and local companies to develop new sustainability solutions. One can only infer that with more sustainable solutions, more infrastructure and plants are required to carry out new recyclable methods when they are developed. This will create jobs and boost Singapore's economy.

 Strategically, these recycling efforts are pivotal in Singapore’s efforts in achieving the Green Plan 2020. According to the Singapore Economic Development Board (2017), Singapore’s long-term commitment to innovation, strategic business partnerships, and a well-educated workforce will ensure that the country will be able to achieve its goals and prosper. By achieving success in these three recycling solutions, Singapore could be a living laboratory for countries around the world facing similar challenges. 

 

 

References

Kurohi, R. (2021, February 10). Singapore government’s Green Plan offers new jobs and economic growth. The Straits Times. https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/singapore-governments-green-plan-offers-new-jobs-and-economic-growth.  

Lane, J. (2017, June 8). Biomass Pyrolysis Comes Of Age. The Digest. https://www.biofuelsdigest.com/bdigest/2017/06/08/biomass-pyrolysis-comes-of-age/

Liu, V. (2020, March 4). Parliament: S’pore looks to create Newoil by Transforming waste plastic into alternative fuel. The Straits Times. https://www.straitstimes.com/politics/parliament-singapore-looks-to-transformwaste-plastic-into-oil 

Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment. (2021, Feb 10). Singapore Green Plan [video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNFeOl7pW9s&t=322s 

Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources. (2021)  Zero waste masterplan. https://www.towardszerowaste.gov.sg/images/zero_waste_masterplan.pdf 

National Environment Agency. (2019, November 25). Newsand a key to closing Singapore’s waste loop. https://www.nea.gov.sg/media/news/news/index/newsand-a-key-to-closing-singapore-s-waste-loop 

National Environment Agency. (2020, July). NEWSand - reimagining waste. https://www.nea.gov.sg/corporate-functions/resources/publications/books-journals-and-magazines/envision-lite/june-july-2020/newsand-reimagining-waste

Singapore Economic Development Board. (2017, September 11). Shaping new possibilities for Singapore and the world. https://www.edb.gov.sg/en/business-insights/insights/shaping-new-possibilities-for-singapore-and-the-world.html

Iswitch. (2020 August, 20). Waste management in Singapore (learn what happens to your trash). https://iswitch.com.sg/waste-management-in-singapore/