Trash to cash: How Singapore is turning green into gold

It's good to be green. That much we know. But did you know that Singapore’s green inclinations go much further than scattering a few ferns and and a bit of shrubbery around the place? There are places where green, the climate-saving type, rules in Singapore. Take a look at four of our best green initiatives that also make a tidy profit: a fresh water reservoir dammed from the sea, a landfill cum offshore garden, a zero-energy building, and electronic waste recycling kiosks to drop off old phones or laptops. 

Pulau Semakau

"It’s a landfill. It’s a garden. It’s a landfill… and a garden."
-- paraphrased from Evelyn Mulwray in "Chinatown".

This 350-hectare island off the southern shores of Singapore is the city-state’s only landfill. We know you’re thinking “landfills are heaped with refuse, scavenger birds, and buzzing insects. What’s so green about it?”

On weekends, nature groupies head out to the island for inter-tidal walks, bird watching, sport fishing, stargazing, and even a spot of camping. If that’s good for nature lovers, it’s good enough for us.

At the same time, it’s undeniably a landfill. Every day barges chug along from the mainland, and drop off tons of incinerated waste for heavy machinery to scoop, carry, and bury in different parts of the island. After filling that section, they’ll pour on a layer of Earth and grass, and viola – instant garden in the unlikeliest spot.

Where: Pulau Semakau; Southern Island
Getting there: Contact NEA (Email: Contact_NEA@nea.gov.sg) to make an appointment. Take the ferry from Pasir Panjang Ferry Terminal (35 West Coast Highway, Singapore). A ferry charter to the island costs up to S$300 for half a day, so go in a big group to keep the price down. Alternatively you could hook up with the following interest groups and join them on an outing to the island. Facilities are free.

• Sport Fishing: Sport Fishing Association. www.sfas.org.sg.
• Bird Watching: Nature Society (Singapore). www.nss.org.sg.
• Star Gazing: The Astronomical Society of Singapore. www.tasos.org.sg.

 

BCA Academy

This building takes the cake for clean energy. Touted as a zero-energy building, it’s an R&D project undertaken by the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) to showcase how green technologies can nullify our carbon footprint and harvest energy on-site. 

There are 3G solar panels for energy creation, lighting by energy-efficient lamps, automatic switching via photo sensors and daylighting, personalized ventilation systems to direct fresh air to users’ breathing zones, and Low-e glass to reduce the transfer of solar radiation through windows. They’ve estimated savings of S$84,000 a year in energy costs compared to a typical office. 

Is it a sign of things to come? We certainly hope so if it’ll mean lower utility bills.

Where: 200 Braddell Road Singapore. tel +65 6248 9999. www.bcaa.edu.sg.

 

Marina barrage

This dam was built across the Marina Channel to create a freshwater reservoir within the city. The technology behind it is simple, but effective. It uses a tidal barrier to keep the water level constant within the reservoir, which in turn keeps water sports enthusiasts happy as they canoe, paddle, and splash about.

In true Singaporean fashion, the Marina Barrage also triples up as a park and water sports centre. You can’t miss out on the Möbius strip-like rooftop garden that swirls up and around the courtyard. This popular location for picnickers and kite flyers also affords a magnificent view of the Marina Bay area for photographers.

On the green side, the structure encompasses a number of green technologies: solar panels generate about 50 percent of its electricity needs; a rainwater collection system reuses rainwater for irrigation; and the roof was built with recycled plastics and eco-friendly drainage cells.

On top of all that, they’ve got free daily tours (except Tuesday) where the attendants will gladly explain all this to you in detail.

Where: 8 Marina Gardens Drive, Singapore. tel +65 6514 5959. Open Mondays to Sundays from 10am to 6pm. www.pub.gov.sg.
Getting there: Take the free shuttle bus from Marina Bay MRT Station -- it's a few minutes' ride.

 

Nokia recycling kiosks

Recycling is good in theory, but it’s not easy to act the part. Especially when there are only token paper, plastic and others bins at scattered locations along Orchard Road, and the karang guni (rag and bone) man rhythmically beeping for business from his van of junk. 

So we were quite surprised when we could leave our old mobile phones and unwanted electronic paraphernalia at Nokia Care centers for recycling. Just remember to wipe your hard drives clean first if you're sending in old computers -- you won’t want to pull an Edison Chen on yourself. What happens at the recycling center is that all the electronic junk (aka ewaste) is picked apart, crushed, melted, and dissolved into its component materials, then each material is consolidated and sent out to the suppliers.

The final product could be plastic sheaves, paper pulp, or even a gold bar.