top of page
Search
Writer's pictureCREL
Mar 25 min read

Contrasting Regulatory Waste Management Laws in Singapore and India

Ishita Singh
University School of Law and Legal Studies (USLLS), Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University (GGSIPU), New Delhi
Waste Singapore is considered to be one of the cleanest cities in the South Asian Region with stringent laws and heavy investments in some of the most advanced waste management systems in the whole world. Contrasting it with India, which has been rebuked by the visitors and even its own citizens for its bad waste disposal habits and unhygienic and non-environmentally friendly methods of waste management, to present a complete picture with the opposite ends of the spectrum on one canvas. While studying waste management laws of the two countries one must keep in mind the impact waste management has on public health and pollution control. India, which houses some of the world’s most polluted cities including capital Delhi, must ensure that its waste management laws stand up to the best waste management laws in the world in letter and in spirit so that one of the most populated countries in the world is a sound and healthy place to live for 18% of the total world population. Singapore and India have different approaches to managing municipal solid waste through their respective laws and regulations. This article analyses and compares the key aspects of waste management laws in these two countries.

Waste Management Laws in Singapore 

Environmental Public Health Act, 1987 (EPHA 1987,) is the key legislation for waste management in Singapore. [1] EPHA, 1987 provides for street cleaning, waste removal and strict punishment for littering and it regulates the management of general waste, toxic industrial waste and other waste streams.[2] The EPHA enables the Corrective Work Order Scheme to have people convicted of littering offenses do corrective work as punishment.[3] There are several key regulations under the EPHA that are directly related to waste management, they are: 

  1. Environmental Public Health (General Waste Collection) Regulations: This regulation provides for licensing and sets rules for general waste collectors, transportation, disposal and standards set by the governmental authorities. This regulation is significant as it also defines recyclable materials. 

  2. Environmental Public Health (Toxic Industrial Waste) Regulation: This regulation restricts the generation of toxic industrial waste and manages the import, transport and storage of industrial waste for the manufacturers. 

  3. Environmental Public Health (Public Cleansing) Regulations: This particular regulation covers refuse bins provision, prohibition of open burning, release of substances in water bodies and disposal of dead animals. 

  4. Other regulations address the management of waste from specific sources like burning joss sticks and candles, commentaries and crematoria, cooling towers and water features.[4]

Singapore, as a whole, adopts an integrated waste management strategy focused on waste minimization, recycling, incineration and landfilling. The National Environmental Agency (NEA) works with various stakeholders to regulate transportation that collects the waste and the waste treatment and disposal.[5]


 Waste Management Laws in India 

India’s waste management laws are more decentralized in their approach. Provisions relating to waste disposal and management are present in various policies and rules under different ministries. Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016, E-Waste Management Rules, 2016 and Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016 under the Environment Protection Act, 1986 are the key laws that govern waste management in India.[6] The Swachh Bharat Abhiyan Movement pushed the narrative of environment-friendly waste disposal techniques in India but the reality is still that the majority of the population in India doesn’t follow practices that lead to cleaner waste management or less waste generation. Promoting responsible consumer behaviour and technological advancements in effective waste management can only transform the present scenario. 

India is the largest producer of e-waste in the world.[7] The number of deaths of children that can be attributed to unhealthy environments is more than 1 in 4 deaths.[8] Statistics like these are plenty. The harsh reality that they present is not something new which we don’t see in our daily lives. The only way to move forward is by eliminating these issues and that can only be possible by introducing and promoting the use of emerging technologies such as automatic waste segregation, and onsite waste processing through methods such as gasifiers, composting, biomethanation and pyrolysis. 

The government of India’s nationwide initiatives such as the already-mentioned Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, National Water Mission and the Waste to Wealth Mission show the commitment of the society as a whole to curb the issue of ineffective waste management. However, reports suggest that only about 23% of the total waste generated is treated while 72% of it is sent to landfills. The giant mountains of waste, as seen on the Delhi border, remain to haunt the people. 


Comparative Analysis 

Both India and Singapore promote waste to energy as a sustainable waste treatment solution. Singapore gets nearly 50% of its electricity from 4 waste-to-energy plants.[9] Thermal treatment of waste is encouraged in Singapore before landfill disposal. The high costs of setting up standardized waste-to-energy plants have hindered developments in India. Singapore adopts a centralized management system while India has multiple agencies at federal, state and local levels that share responsibility for waste management. The decentralized system often leads to critical gaps in planning and policy implementation across cities and towns.[10] Singapore’s waste management approach aims to maximise resource recovery and recycling. Mandatory Packaging Reporting Framework in Singapore require producers to meet recycling targets.[11] Recycling is also promoted in Singapore through public education programs. India has similar recycling targets for municipalities in Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016 but the implementation is challenging due to inadequate infrastructure and the informal nature of its recycling sector. Efforts to encourage recycling have had limited success compared to Singapore. The enforcement mechanisms, all in all, that are present in Indian laws are weaker as compared to Singapore.[12]


Conclusion

From the above analysis, we see that while India and Singapore share the common goals of sustainable waste management there remains a significant gap in India’s regulatory framework, enforcement, infrastructure and public participation as compared to Singapore’s developed waste management system. The author acknowledges the vast gap in the population of both the countries but the close regional proximity of both the countries and shared colonial history makes Singapore an exemplary example to India in the area of waste management. As India continues to rapidly develop, strengthening institutional capacity and increasing its investment in human capital, it will build greener cities and well-informed communities by reducing waste generation and properly disposing of the waste generated. 

 

 

[1]   Yong Soon Tan, Lee Tung Jean and Karen Tan, Clean, Green and Blue: Singapore's Journey Towards Environmental and Water Sustainability, ISEAS PUBLISHING (2009).

[2]   Foo Kim Boon, Control of Pollution in Singapore, 5 SINGAPORE ACADEMY OF L.J. 81 (1993).

[3]  Lin-Heng Lye, A Fine City in a Garden – Environmental Law and Governance in Singapore 1 SINGAPORE JOURNAL OF LEGAL STUDIES 68 (2008).

[4]  Vipon Kititasnasorchai and Panat Tasneeyanond, Thai Environment Law', 4 SINGAPORE JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL & COMPARATIVE LAW 1 (2000).

[5]  Abd Manaf Latifah, Mohd Armi Abu Samah and Nur Ilyana Mohd Zukki, Municipal Solid Waste Management in Malaysia: Practices and Challenges, 29 WASTE MANAGEMENT 2902 (2009).

[8]  INVEST INDIA, https://www.investindia.gov.in/waste-to-wealth (last visited Nov 28, 2023).

[9] Vin Spoann, Takeshi Fujiwara, Bandith Seng and Lay Chanthy, Municipal Solid Waste Management: Constraints and Opportunities to Improve Capacity of Local Government Authorities of Phnom Penh Capital, 36(10) WASTE MANAGEMENT & RESEARCH 985 (2018).

[10]  Jayant Singh, Waste Management Laws in Indai: Plastic & Biomedical Wastes, SOCIAL SCIENCE RESEARCH NETWORK 24 (2019).

[11]  Tran Chung Duc and Salhofer Stefan Petrus, Analysis of Recycling Structures for Ewaste in Vietnam, 20 JOURNAL OF MATERIAL CYCLES AND WASTE MANAGEMENT 110 (2018).

[12]  V Ashok Shekdar, Sustainable Solid Waste Management: An Integrated Approach for Asian Countries, 29 WASTE MANAGEMENT 1438 (2009).

[13]  Shuqing Zhao, Peng Changhui, Jiang Hong, Tian Dalun, Lei Xiangdong and Zhou Xiaolu, Land use change in Asia and the ecological consequences, 21(6) ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH 890 (2006).


23 views0 comments

コメント

bottom of page