SINGAPORE: Recycling a laptop may just be a matter of putting it in an e-waste bin for most people, but the end-of-life process is much more drawn out and labour-intensive for METech Recycling Asia.
The recycling firm dismantles the devices into materials that can be recycled and those that cannot be recycled, in a bid to lower the amount of waste entering Singapore’s only landfill.
Speaking at the 2024 International E-Waste Day event at Westgate on Sunday (Oct 13), Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment Amy Khor said that the total amount of e-waste collected has increased, from 3,500 tonnes in February 2022 to more than 22,300 tonnes in September this year.
Collection points have also increased from 300 to around 870 across Singapore, at locations such as shopping malls, supermarkets and commercial buildings.
Dr Khor said that data security remained a concern for those looking to recycle e-waste.
“The reason that people given is … (they are) worried about data security because … a lot of us (tend) to have a lot of personal and confidential information in our handphones, for instance, in our laptops and so on, and you are very worried that this will leak out,” she said.
She noted that under the law, all data-bearing devices that are sent for recycling at licensed recyclers must undergo data sanitisation and physical dismantling.
In 2018, a National Environment Agency (NEA) study found that Singapore generates about 60,000 tonnes of e-waste a year – equivalent to each person in Singapore throwing about 73 mobile phones, or about 11kg of e-waste.
The NEA introduced a regulated e-waste management system in 2021 to ensure the proper collection and handling of e-waste, including the extraction of valuable resources from e-waste.
It appointed ALBA E-waste Smart Recycling to collect regulated consumer electrical and electronic waste across Singapore for proper treatment and recycling on behalf of producers from Jul 1, 2021, to Jun 30, 2026.
Dr Khor said that ALBA will be offering free doorstep collection of bulky e-waste, such as refrigerators, air-conditioners, washing machines, dryers and televisions starting early 2025. This will be available for all households.
METech is a firm that receives e-waste from ALBA for processing.
At its Tuas facility, the company deals with e-waste like laptops and electric vehicle batteries, breaking them down for further processing.
The company showed the media how it also sanitises data from laptops. Sustainability and recycling consultant Vincent Quck said erasing data from devices goes a long way in giving consumers and clients the confidence to recycle their laptops.