SINGAPORE — A new law that compels companies to adopt more stringent measures to cut waste is unlikely to result in consumers having to pay higher prices, said Senior Minister of State for the Environment and Water Resources Amy Khor on Wednesday (Sept 4).

She was responding to concerns raised by Members of Parliament (MPs) Joan Pereira and Anthea Ong during the debate on the Resource Sustainability Bill, which outlines measures aimed at minimising Singapore’s food, packaging and electrical and electronic waste.

The new law sets several targets. For instance, from 2021, producers of electronic waste will have to be responsible for the end-of-life treatment of their products. This means that they will have to collect and ensure that the products are recycled by licensed companies.

Dr Khor said that a European Union study on a scheme to tackle waste electrical and electronic equipment had seen an increase of about 2 per cent in the prices of products which is only a “small fraction” of the costs.

“Producers are unlikely to raise the retail prices of their products significantly, as this will affect their price competitiveness,” she said, adding that there is potential for costs to be brought down when the waste streams are converted into valuable materials.

The Bill, which was passed in Parliament, is part of MEWR’s Zero Waste Masterplan, the details of which were unveiled last on Aug 30.

CALLS FOR FOOD WASTE REDUCTION TARGETS

While MPs expressed support for the Bill, some questioned whether it goes far enough to encourage Singaporeans to reduce their food waste.

Mr Louis Ng said that while the Bill addresses the root of the problem for packaging and e-waste, it appears to only address the “symptoms” of the problem for food waste.

“The focus of the Bill here is processing the food waste rather than preventing or at least reducing it,” said Mr Ng, who is the MP for Nee Soon Group Representation Constituency (GRC).

Agreeing, MP for Holland-Bukit Timah GRC Liang Eng Hwa expressed his hope that the Government will work closely with industry and community stakeholders to introduce more “game-changing policy measures” to reduce food waste in Singapore.

Addressing these concerns, Dr Khor said the National Environment Agency has been actively promoting the reduction of food waste generation through campaigns and by engaging local communities.

The agency has also created a series of guidebooks on how to minimise food waste for food retail establishments, supermarkets and manufacturers, she said, adding that the guide has been shared with public agencies.