Some people say Singapore is a litter-free country. What you probably didn't know, is that the tiny country produces a whopping 7,000 tons of garbage a day - 94 percent of which is vaporized in the incinerator, while the remaining 6 percent of ash is buried. @However, the last landfill on the crowded main island was filled up in 1999. Since then, Singapore has been taking its trash out to sea, to the world's first offshore landfill, on the small, but ever growing, island of Sumakau. In the latest of our series of reports on sustainable development in Singapore, we went to investigate how the government is reducing the environmental impact of the landfill.
( 7,100 tons of trash a day )
Singapore is booming and its population is approaching 5 million people. The flip side of development is the 7,100 tons of rubbish it produces every day.
( Waste ash sent to island landfill )
The largest incinerator receives 3,000 tons a day, which is reduced to 700 tons of ash, 20 percent of the original mass, and 10 percent of the volume.
The ash is then loaded onto ships and sailed to the largest offshore landfill in the world.
( Sumakau lagoon filled with waste )
The Sumakau landfill is surrounded by 4-mile long barrier, creating a huge lagoon, which is further split into 11 sections. The seawater is then drained to make way for the ash.
( Sumakau Landfill manager, Ong Chong Peng )
" Before we use it, we seal the pipe, and see how much water is left. Most of the time, we don't need to pump out too much. Then we start filling it. "
( Leak-proof lining )
Stopping the waste contaminating the sea is the top priority, so every lagoon must be leak-proof.
( Sumakau Landfill manager, Ong Chong Peng )
" The most important part of the landfill is this bank, because on the bank we have an impermeable geomembrane, and a layer of sea clay, which guarantees the waste material won't leak out. "
( Natural checks at landfill site )
Wells dug beside the lagoons are checked once a month to test the water quality and to make sure the ocean is not being polluted. This strip of mangroves also indicates changes in water quality.
( Sumakau Landfill manager, Ong Chong Peng )
" In the past ten years we've seen the mangroves flourish and grow, which means the sea around here isn't polluted. "
After a lagoon is topped off with soil, two or three years later, what was once a landfill, is transformed.
( Sumakau Landfill manager, Ong Chong Peng )
" After the water area is filled in, we cover it with a layer of soil about 20-30cm deep. After covering it with earth, the plants start growing naturally, and birds come, and in a couple of years it turns into a big pasture. "
This area is almost full. After it is full, we cover it with soil, which is the final stage of the landfill.
( Deadline 2045 for Sumakau landfill )
The area the manager is talking about only took six months to fill. At this rate, the whole ocean area will be filled in by the year 2045.
With the deadline looming, Singapore is investing in ways to reduce the amount of waste that needs to be buried, by incinerating all its garbage. The arriving ash does not smell or attract flies - evidenced by the wildlife you see on the island today.
( Impact of offshore expansion? )
The offshore landfill of today used to be a tiny fishing village 11 years ago. Land reclamation and waste disposal expanded it into a huge offshore landfill. Although Singapore is keeping its promise to limit the environmental impact, for the organisms that used to live here undisturbed, the arrival of the landfill, just like the huge Jurong oil refinery - which is visible from Sumakau - must be having an effect. Built on top of what used to be seven small islets, the vast offshore facility meets Singapore's current demands, but could bring the city state even greater problems in the future.
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