Looking Beyond the Recycling Rate — At the Other Half of Singapore's Waste Story

Singapore's overall recycling rate fell to 50 percent in 2024.

- Bay Meng Yi

With half of the total waste generated here being recycled, this figure is the lowest level in over a decade.

This decline in recycling rate, from 60 percent in 2014, may raise concerns over the progress of Singapore's waste management system.

However, while the recycling rate often captures headlines, it tells only part of the story. An equally important but less widely discussed indicator is the amount of waste generated in Singapore.

The total waste produced—recycled and non-recycled—reached a record low in the past decade. In 2014, Singapore generated 7.5 million tonnes of waste. In 2024, the figure fell to 6.7 million tonnes—this despite the country's gross domestic product (GDP) and population growing over the decade.

In the same period, domestic waste generated per person per day dropped from 1.08kg to 850g. This means that the average Singaporean today generates one-fifth less waste than 10 years ago. This is equivalent to each person throwing away 14 fewer plastic bottles every day.

As for the non-domestic sector in Singapore, there have also been substantial reductions in waste generation relative to the GDP from around 35 tonnes per day per billion dollars GDP in 2014, to around 24 tonnes per day per billion dollars GDP.

The numbers in Singapore point to a quiet but potentially powerful shift in consumption patterns. They suggest that Singaporeans and businesses are achieving better material efficiency and generating less waste. If sustained, this would be a successful decoupling of waste generation from both population growth and economic output, a crucial enabler of long-term sustainability.

WASTE GENERATION VERSUS RECYCLING