As part of the effort to combat marine plastic litter, a Member of Parliament of Singapore proposed to the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment (formerly known as the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources [MEWR]) the ban of single-use plastic, However, MEWR (through its senior minister of state) and NEA both argued against it (Eco-Business, 2018), saying that the plastic litter issue should be tackled through public education and not through policy. Senior Minister Amy Khor emphasised that the government’s aim was to encourage consumers and businesses to reduce plastic use ‘beyond what the regulations require’. She explained that ‘[t]his process may take longer. But this is the right way; the positive effects will go beyond plastic bags, beyond packaging, beyond waste management to areas including climate action’. Meanwhile, NEA argued that since majority of residents live in high-rise buildings, plastic bags are still needed to hygienically dispose of their food waste or risk pest outbreaks.
Singapore has conducted several initiatives to reduce plastic use, including the Singapore Packaging Agreement, a voluntary agreement to reduce packaging waste launched in 2007. By its conclusion in June 2020, this agreement has successfully gathered 246 signatories comprising of companies, industry groups, non-government organisations, recyclers, research institutes, commercial building owners and managers, and the NEA (NEA, 2020) and reduced 62,000 tonnes of packaging waste (NEA, n.d.). In 2021, the Singapore Manufacturing Federation partnered with the NEA to launch the Packaging Partnership Programme which was developed, among others, to support companies in implementing the Mandatory Packaging Reporting Framework (NEA, n.d., PPP, n.d.).
Singapore designated 2019 as the Year Towards Zero Waste with the release of the country's Zero Waste Masterplan in the second half of the same year (Zero Waste Solution, 2019). The Masterplan maps strategies to achieve the ambitious target of reducing per capita waste sent to landfills by 30% by 2030 and establish Singapore as a of Zero Waste Nation (MEWR, 2019).
To reiterate the measures mandated in the Zero Waste Masterplan, in February 2021, Singapore released the Singapore Green Plan 2030 a national movement to advance the country’s agenda on sustainable development (Singapore Green Plan, n.d.-a). This movement is led by the MSE, Ministry of Trade and Industry, Ministry of Transport, Ministry of National Development, and Ministry of Education (Singapore Green Plan, n.d.-a). One of the five key focus areas under the Green Plan is creating sustainable living through a circular economy (Singapore Green Plan, n.d.-b).
In conjunction with the World Environment Day 2022, the MSE launched the National Action Strategy on Marine Litter, which aims to galvanise a whole-of-nation effort to combat marine litter (MSE, 2022a). It outlines six strategic focus areas tailored to the local context, each elaborated with some targeted measures (Table 1).
Table 1. Focus Areas and Measures in National Action Strategy on Marine Litter
No. | Focus Area | Measure |
|---|---|---|
1. | Reduction of land-based sources of litter | Control of waste collection and disposal |
Integrated solid waste management system | ||
Treatment of wastewater before discharge to sea | ||
Clean up of waterways and coastal waters | ||
Regulation of general waste disposal facilities | ||
2. | Reduction of sea-based sources of litter | Inspection on ships to check compliance to regulations on garbage disposal into the sea |
Prohibition of waste dumping from offshore fish farms | ||
Clean up of coastal waters | ||
Implementation of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships | ||
3. | Circular economy approach | Reduction of the use of disposables |
Promotion of recycling | ||
Implementation of Resource Sustainability Act 2019 to address priority waste streams | ||
4. | Research and development | Study and development of membrane bioreactor technology systems at water reclamation plants |
Study on marine debris by the National Parks Board and the National University of Singapore | ||
Use of technology | ||
5. | Promotion and strengthening of outreach and stakeholder engagement | People, private and public partnerships to reduce land-based solid waste |
Awareness raising through collaboration with ground-up initiatives | ||
Engagement of citizens to co-create solutions | ||
Community initiatives to ignite mindset and behaviour change | ||
Education of youths through the incorporation of sustainability elements into the national school curriculum | ||
6. | International engagement and collaboration | Involvement in international and regional platforms |
Capacity-building programmes to support developing countries |
Source: MSE (2022b).
Updated as of 10 January 2025.
Eco-Business (2018), Singapore environment ministry pushes back against MP’s proposal to cut single-use plastic and tax bags. https://www.eco-business.com/news/singapore-environment-ministry-pushes-back-against-mps-proposal-to-cut-single-use-plastic-and-tax-bags/ (accessed 02 October 2019).
MSE (2022a), 'Singapore launches National Action Strategy on Marine Litter'. https://www.mse.gov.sg/latest-news/singapore-launches-national-action-strategy-on-marine-litter (accessed 10 January 2025).
MSE (2022b), National Action Strategy on Addressing Marine Litter in Singapore. https://isomer-user-content.by.gov.sg/23/6805af22-bf4a-42b6-b38d-dae4079cbe1a/nasml.pdf (accessed 10 January 2025).
NEA (2019), Zero Waste Masterplan: Singapore. https://isomer-user-content.by.gov.sg/23/795cfb86-73c7-40e8-b6c5-2ec97bc4325f/zero-waste-masterplan.pdf (accessed 10 January 2025).
NEA (2020), List of Signatories as at 30 June 2020. https://www.nea.gov.sg/docs/default-source/our-services/list-of-signatories-as-at-30-june-2020.pdf (accessed 10 January 2025).
NEA (n.d.), 'Singapore Packaging Agreement and Packaging Partnership Programme'. https://www.nea.gov.sg/programmes-grants/schemes/packaging-partnership-programme (accessed 10 January 2025).
PPP (n.d.), 'Overview of the Packaging Partnership Programme (PPP)'. https://packaging-partnership.org.sg/about-us/overview-packaging-partnership-programme-ppp (accessed 10 January 2025).
Singapore Green Plan (n.d.-a), 'Overview'. https://www.greenplan.gov.sg/overview/ (accessed 10 January 2025).
Singapore Green Plan (n.d.-b), 'Sustainable Living'. https://www.greenplan.gov.sg/key-focus-areas/sustainable-living/ (accessed 10 January 2025).
Zero Waste Solution (2019), '2019 is Singapore's Year Towards Zero Waste'https://zero-waste.biz/2019-is-singapores-year-towards-zero-waste/ (accessed 10 January 2025).
As part of the effort to combat marine plastic litter, a Member of Parliament of Singapore proposed to the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment (formerly known as the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources [MEWR]) the ban of single-use plastic, However, MEWR (through its senior minister of state) and NEA both argued against it (Eco-Business, 2018), saying that the plastic litter issue should be tackled through public education and not through policy. Senior Minister Amy Khor emphasised that the government’s aim was to encourage consumers and businesses to reduce plastic use ‘beyond what the regulations require’. She explained that ‘[t]his process may take longer. But this is the right way; the positive effects will go beyond plastic bags, beyond packaging, beyond waste management to areas including climate action’. Meanwhile, NEA argued that since majority of residents live in high-rise buildings, plastic bags are still needed to hygienically dispose of their food waste or risk pest outbreaks.
Singapore has conducted several initiatives to reduce plastic use, including the Singapore Packaging Agreement, a voluntary agreement to reduce packaging waste launched in 2007. By its conclusion in June 2020, this agreement has successfully gathered 246 signatories comprising of companies, industry groups, non-government organisations, recyclers, research institutes, commercial building owners and managers, and the NEA (NEA, 2020) and reduced 62,000 tonnes of packaging waste (NEA, n.d.). In 2021, the Singapore Manufacturing Federation partnered with the NEA to launch the Packaging Partnership Programme which was developed, among others, to support companies in implementing the Mandatory Packaging Reporting Framework (NEA, n.d., PPP, n.d.).
Singapore designated 2019 as the Year Towards Zero Waste with the release of the country's Zero Waste Masterplan in the second half of the same year (Zero Waste Solution, 2019). The Masterplan maps strategies to achieve the ambitious target of reducing per capita waste sent to landfills by 30% by 2030 and establish Singapore as a of Zero Waste Nation (MEWR, 2019).
To reiterate the measures mandated in the Zero Waste Masterplan, in February 2021, Singapore released the Singapore Green Plan 2030 a national movement to advance the country’s agenda on sustainable development (Singapore Green Plan, n.d.-a). This movement is led by the MSE, Ministry of Trade and Industry, Ministry of Transport, Ministry of National Development, and Ministry of Education (Singapore Green Plan, n.d.-a). One of the five key focus areas under the Green Plan is creating sustainable living through a circular economy (Singapore Green Plan, n.d.-b).
In conjunction with the World Environment Day 2022, the MSE launched the National Action Strategy on Marine Litter, which aims to galvanise a whole-of-nation effort to combat marine litter (MSE, 2022a). It outlines six strategic focus areas tailored to the local context, each elaborated with some targeted measures (Table 1).
Table 1. Focus Areas and Measures in National Action Strategy on Marine Litter
No. | Focus Area | Measure |
|---|---|---|
1. | Reduction of land-based sources of litter | Control of waste collection and disposal |
Integrated solid waste management system | ||
Treatment of wastewater before discharge to sea | ||
Clean up of waterways and coastal waters | ||
Regulation of general waste disposal facilities | ||
2. | Reduction of sea-based sources of litter | Inspection on ships to check compliance to regulations on garbage disposal into the sea |
Prohibition of waste dumping from offshore fish farms | ||
Clean up of coastal waters | ||
Implementation of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships | ||
3. | Circular economy approach | Reduction of the use of disposables |
Promotion of recycling | ||
Implementation of Resource Sustainability Act 2019 to address priority waste streams | ||
4. | Research and development | Study and development of membrane bioreactor technology systems at water reclamation plants |
Study on marine debris by the National Parks Board and the National University of Singapore | ||
Use of technology | ||
5. | Promotion and strengthening of outreach and stakeholder engagement | People, private and public partnerships to reduce land-based solid waste |
Awareness raising through collaboration with ground-up initiatives | ||
Engagement of citizens to co-create solutions | ||
Community initiatives to ignite mindset and behaviour change | ||
Education of youths through the incorporation of sustainability elements into the national school curriculum | ||
6. | International engagement and collaboration | Involvement in international and regional platforms |
Capacity-building programmes to support developing countries |
Source: MSE (2022b).
Updated as of 10 January 2025.
Eco-Business (2018), Singapore environment ministry pushes back against MP’s proposal to cut single-use plastic and tax bags. https://www.eco-business.com/news/singapore-environment-ministry-pushes-back-against-mps-proposal-to-cut-single-use-plastic-and-tax-bags/ (accessed 02 October 2019).
MSE (2022a), 'Singapore launches National Action Strategy on Marine Litter'. https://www.mse.gov.sg/latest-news/singapore-launches-national-action-strategy-on-marine-litter (accessed 10 January 2025).
MSE (2022b), National Action Strategy on Addressing Marine Litter in Singapore. https://isomer-user-content.by.gov.sg/23/6805af22-bf4a-42b6-b38d-dae4079cbe1a/nasml.pdf (accessed 10 January 2025).
NEA (2019), Zero Waste Masterplan: Singapore. https://isomer-user-content.by.gov.sg/23/795cfb86-73c7-40e8-b6c5-2ec97bc4325f/zero-waste-masterplan.pdf (accessed 10 January 2025).
NEA (2020), List of Signatories as at 30 June 2020. https://www.nea.gov.sg/docs/default-source/our-services/list-of-signatories-as-at-30-june-2020.pdf (accessed 10 January 2025).
NEA (n.d.), 'Singapore Packaging Agreement and Packaging Partnership Programme'. https://www.nea.gov.sg/programmes-grants/schemes/packaging-partnership-programme (accessed 10 January 2025).
PPP (n.d.), 'Overview of the Packaging Partnership Programme (PPP)'. https://packaging-partnership.org.sg/about-us/overview-packaging-partnership-programme-ppp (accessed 10 January 2025).
Singapore Green Plan (n.d.-a), 'Overview'. https://www.greenplan.gov.sg/overview/ (accessed 10 January 2025).
Singapore Green Plan (n.d.-b), 'Sustainable Living'. https://www.greenplan.gov.sg/key-focus-areas/sustainable-living/ (accessed 10 January 2025).
Zero Waste Solution (2019), '2019 is Singapore's Year Towards Zero Waste'https://zero-waste.biz/2019-is-singapores-year-towards-zero-waste/ (accessed 10 January 2025).
