Singapore races to extend life of ‘Garbage of Eden’ Pulau Semakau, its only landfill site

Singapore launched a ‘zero-waste’ campaign in 2019 to boost recycled waste to 70 per cent, a target not yet met, and reduce rubbish dumped

With its island dump projected to be full in just over a decade, the land-scarce city state needs to prolong site’s lifespan

Reading Time:3 minutes

Huge amounts of plastic and other rubbish are causing serious problems around the world, including in Singapore, which only has one landfill site. Photo: Shutterstock

Published: 6:45pm, 28 Jul 2023

Visitors to the island hosting Singapore’s only landfill might expect foul odours and swarms of flies, but instead they are greeted with stunning views of blue waters, lush greenery and wildlife.

Welcome to Pulau Semakau, the land-scarce city’s eco-friendly rubbish island, where ash from the incinerated trash of its nearly six million people is dumped.

With just over a decade to go until the site is projected to be filled, the government is in a race against time to extend the lifespan of the island landfill, so serene it has earned the moniker “Garbage of Eden”.

It is imperative that we continue to use the Semakau landfill for as long as possible, and if possible extend its life beyond 2035

Desmond Lee, National Environment Agency landfill manager

“This is the only landfill in Singapore, and due to the small area and the competing land needs, it is difficult to find another location,” said Desmond Lee, the landfill manager at the National Environment Agency (NEA), which oversees the island.

“It is imperative that we continue to use the Semakau landfill for as long as possible, and if possible extend its life beyond 2035,” he says.

Singapore generated 7.4 million tonnes of waste last year, of which about 4.2 million tonnes, or 57 per cent, were recycled.

Plastics remain a sticking point for the island’s waste drive, with just 6 per cent recycled last year. Food waste, of which 18 per cent was recycled, also poses a problem.