Singapore NEA Electronic Waste
CLOSED: Sustainable Utilisation of Inflight Food Resources
17/04/2020
Singapore NEA Food Waste
28/04/2020
| City | Singapore | |
| Organization | National Environment Agency | |
| Theme / Sector | E-waste | |
| Background | Singapore generates more than 60,000 tonnes of electrical and electronic waste (e-waste) each year. The rate of e-waste being generated is anticipated to grow with economic growth and the prevalence of electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) among consumers and businesses. The Zero Waste Masterplan that was launched in Sep 2019 has identified e-waste as one of the key priority waste streams. E-waste contains valuable resources that can be recovered from proper handling and treatment processes. E-waste also contains hazardous substances that can harm the environment and impact public health if improperly disposed of. To address this growing waste steam, the National Environment Agency (NEA) will introduce a regulated e-waste management system by 2021, with the assignment of responsibilities to key stakeholders through an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) approach. Under the EPR framework, producers of regulated EEE will assume the physical and/or financial responsibility to ensure the collection and proper treatment of their e-waste. These producers are companies that manufacture or import regulated products for supply on the local market. All e-waste collected under the e-waste management system will have to be channelled to licensed e-waste recyclers for proper treatment. This system will also enable the aggregation and recovery of valuable resources from e-waste for reuse, turning trash into treasure. For more information from NEA on which EEE are regulated and the e-waste EPR system, please refer to this website: https://www.nea.gov.sg/e-waste-epr. |
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| Description of the specific challenge | Challenge 1 With the appointment of the Producer Responsibility Scheme (PRS) operator in late 2020 and commencement of the PRS on 1 Jul 2021, how can we design e-waste collection programmes to achieve the desired impact in terms of segregation and collection of e-waste? Note: From Jul 2021 onwards, all regulated consumer e-waste from the public, which includes retailers and large retailers, has to be collected by the PRS operator. Challenge 2 With the popularity of e-commerce platforms where consumers directly purchase their EEE online from overseas suppliers, how can we extend the EPR obligations to include these business models? Note: The EPR obligations are placed on companies that are considered “Producers” under the Resource Sustainability Act. Producers are defined as persons that are not individuals, who Carries on a business of supplying regulated products in Singapore; andIn furtherance of that business:Imports the regulated product into Singapore;Manufactures the regulated product in Singapore; orEngages another person to manufacture the regulated product in Singapore or otherwise cause such manufacture. Most E-commerce retailers claim to only facilitate the transaction by providing a service as an online marketplace and thus are not classified as producers. This is because they are not in the business of importing or supplying the regulated products. The companies that are importing and supplying the products through the e-commerce platforms are mostly based overseas, and as such, are not under the jurisdiction of Singapore’s laws. Third party logistics companies are also not considered producers as they are not in the business of supplying the products in Singapore. ) | |
| Desired outcome | Challenge 1 The proposal should assess (both qualitatively and quantitatively) how the proposed programmes will help to ensure the PRS operator collects e-waste efficiently and effectively. Note: All e-waste collected by the PRS operator must be channelled to a licensed e-waste recycler. Challenge 2 The proposal should contain actionable items, with proper analysis, which NEA could use to improve the PRS and ensure that appropriate parties are responsible for their obligations under the EPR. | |
| Current status | Since 2015, NEA implemented the National Voluntary Programme (NVP) for e-waste recycling to encourage the segregation and collection of e-waste. As of 31 December 2019, NEA has formed partnerships with 25 companies and placed about 500 e-waste bins around Singapore to increase the convenience of e-waste recycling. More information about the NVP is available on the following website: https://www.nea.gov.sg/programmes-grants/schemes/national-voluntary-partnership-for-e-waste-recycling In 2019, the Resource Sustainability Act was gazetted to provide legislative effect to the e-waste management system. Under this e-waste management system, NEA will be appointing a PRS operator through an open tender by 4Q 2020. This PRS operator will be responsible to meet the collection targets set by NEA. | |
| Estimated timelines | From Jul 2021 onwards, the following obligations will take place – A person (business), other than an individual, must not, provide a receptacle in a public place, or a service to the public, for the collection of any regulated product for disposal unless the person: Is the licensed PRS operator, Is a licensed waste collector collecting on behalf of the PRS operator. Retailers that supply a regulated consumer product and in the course of such supply, delivers or causes the delivery of, the supplied product to any premises specified by the consumer, are to collect and dispose of regulated consumer products that is of the same class or type of the supplied product from their client’s premises in the course of delivering the supplied product without charge. Large retailers (with a floor area of or more than 300 square metres) are to provide in-store collection services for regulated consumer products that are supplied at their premises. Further details can be found in the Resource Sustainability Act at: www.go.gov.sg/rsa | |
| Procurement procedure | From Jul 2021 onwards: Programmes related to the collection of regulated consumer products will be organized, conducted and overseen by the PRS operator. The PRS operator will be charging producers based on how much regulated consumer products are collected in order to fund these programmes. | |
| Key local stakeholders | Waste Management & Recycling Association of Singapore (WMRAS) Producer Responsibility Scheme (PRS) operator Any partners in the National Voluntary Partnership programme for e-waste. https://www.nea.gov.sg/programmes-grants/schemes/national-voluntary-partnership-for-e-waste-recycling |
For application assistance: Quercus Group
