Household Recycling Rate Drops to All-Time Low of 11% in 2024

Less paper and cardboard waste recycled, although country also generated less waste

- Ang Qing

The household recycling rate in 2024 fell to a record low of 11 percent, down from the previous low of 12 percent in 2023 and 2022.

This comes despite initiatives to encourage more household recycling, such as the distribution of recycling boxes to all homes in 2023.

The National Environment Agency (NEA) told The Straits Times that the dip in 2024 was largely due to less paper and cardboard waste being recycled, although less domestic waste was generated that year.

The domestic recycling rate for 2024 was released by NEA on July 23 as part of its waste statistics for the year, which also showed a decline in Singapore's overall recycling rate.

In 2024, Singapore's overall recycling rate stood at 50 percent, down from 52 percent in 2023 and 60 percent in 2014.

The overall rate includes waste from both domestic and non-domestic sectors.

Domestic waste refers to waste from households, shophouses, petrol stations, hawker centres, educational institutions and places of worship.

The non-domestic sector includes commercial and industrial premises.

WHAT'S BEHIND THE DROP IN RECYCLING RATE

NEA said one reason for the drop in the overall recycling rate over the past decade was the reduction of waste from demolition projects, as well as the lower amount of used slag—waste generated during steel smelting activities—due to fewer such activities here.

These types of waste are almost completely recycled.

The decline in the overall recycling rate for 2024 was also partly due to less wood waste being processed, following a short-term reduction in wood processing capacity that year, NEA said.

The sharp drop in paper and cardboard being recycled also contributed to lower recycling rates in 2024. The paper recycling rate fell from 52 percent in 2018 to 32 percent in 2024.