Singapore reviews zero-waste plan as Semakau nears 2035 limit
What's new: NEA and NTU also launched a S$35 million research center to recover materials from hard-to-recycle waste.
Singapore will review its 2019 Zero Waste Masterplan as weaker recycling rates threaten efforts to extend the life of Semakau Landfill, the country’s only active landfill, beyond 2035. The Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment and the National Environment Agency will begin work in the coming months and aim to complete the review in 2027. NEA data showed Singapore’s overall recycling rate rose to 52% in 2025 from 50% in 2024, but remained below 59% in 2019. Domestic recycling stayed at 11%, while non-domestic recycling rose to 67% from 65%. Separately, NEA and Nanyang Technological University launched TREASURES, a S$35 million center to recover useful materials from residues and toxic waste and cut reliance on landfilling.