What happens to the bags of oil-soaked sand from the beaches

The sand is treated at a waste processing facility and may be used to fill sandbags

- Elise Wong

Oil-soaked sand removed from Singapore's beaches following the June 14 oil spill is being treated and may be used to fill sandbags for flood control, said a representative from one of the several waste companies appointed to treat the oily sand.

Ms Irni Masnita Mohamed Anis, sales and business development manager at Mencast Offshore and Marine, said tests will be done on the treated sand to assess its safety, but the final decision on what the sand will be used for depends on its owner.

The sand treated by Mencast is from East Coast Park and Sentosa's Siloso, Tanjong and Palawan beaches.

It is not clear what will happen to treated sand that does not pass inspections.

Ms Irni was speaking to The Straits Times on June 21, during a media visit facilitated by the National Environment Agency (NEA) to a treatment facility.

She said that the oil content in sand contaminated from the recent spill ranges from 2 to 5 per cent.

For the sand to be considered successfully treated, the oil content has to drop to about 0.1 per cent.

Treated sand, despite being safe to touch, may still appear to be stained black.

Ms Irni said it cannot be restored to its original white colouration.

So far, about 140 tonnes of oilsoaked sand have been collected by Mencast, she said.

Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu said in a Facebook post on June 20 that over 71,000kg of sand were scooped up from Sentosa's beaches alone.