Sustainable Asset Management Solutions: Transforming E-Waste Management in Singapore
There is no doubt that e-waste is a new type of waste which is growing with the growth of global electronic equipment. Actually, in the environmental science and management agenda so far, there is no totally ‘safe’ e-waste management solution that is environmentally friendly, cost-effective, ensures the protection of the metals, avoids the environmental damage to the ecosystem, and prevents the bioaccumulation of hazardous substances. Given the large responses that e-waste has demanded from society, eco-design is commonly recognized as an appropriate tool to mitigate the e-waste crisis by making electronic products more environmentally-friendly and facilitating recycling, reuse, and closed-loop recovery. In the meantime, reverse logistics and recycling supply chains are feasible and effective ways to manage e-waste. Our research plan aims towards the development of sustainable asset management solutions transforming e-waste into a circular economy in Singapore.
Electronics are everywhere in modern society, and they are growing ever smaller, smarter, and more powerful. Over the last decade, the number and types of electronic devices have proliferated, and adoption by both the business and personal sectors has increased. Nowadays, most people use electronic devices like notebooks, tablets, and smartphones on a daily basis. There is a growing public awareness that electronic waste (‘e-waste’) and its sub-stream components, especially printed circuit boards containing large quantities of precious metals and hazardous substances that cannot be removed through conventional treatment methods, have become a major risk to human health and the environment, and have led to enormous pollution in the global environment. Therefore, the search for sustainable solutions seeking to reduce the impact of e-waste is of increasing importance. Proper e-waste recycling and disposal in Singapore ensures environmentally friendly handling of electronic waste.
E-Waste Recycling and Disposal in Singapore
In Singapore’s open-source system, e-waste is processed mainly by the registered e-waste recyclers for the purpose of precious metal recovery, plastic recycling, etc. They operate under the licensing and audit regime of the NEA. In general, e-waste management in Singapore has been guided by several objectives, including responsible disposal to ensure that e-waste does not end up in dumping sites and poses severe pollution problems, valuable recycling from e-waste to reduce importation of natural resources and technologies for environmental protection, proper recycling to ensure that certified e-waste recyclers handle e-waste in an environmentally sound manner, and a level-playing-field approach to maintain competition in the e-waste management market.
Singapore, a small and open economy, has experienced remarkable economic development since independence. Its total domestic production increased 14.5 times over the period 1960 to 2016 in constant price terms. This growing affluence has led to skyrocketing ownership of electronics by every household within the population. Singapore households are one of the top key contributors of electronic and electrical products (i.e. digital compacts, hand phones, LCD monitors, etc.) sales turnover in Singapore. On the one hand, rising ownership of electronics has increased consumer surplus arising from better electronic functionality. On the other hand, to keep up social prestige and satisfy increasing material comfort, many consumers, especially the younger and more well-to-do ones, upgrade electronics regularly, either to keep products up-to-date or replace those showing signs of wear and tear. As a result, the average service lives of electronics become shorter, leading to increasing generation of e-waste in Singapore.
Server Disposal in Singapore
Efficient server disposal in Singapore helps businesses manage outdated hardware responsibly. When large data centres are decommissioned and servers are replaced with newer models, some of the decommissioned servers reach their end of life and are collectively referred to as “Server Disposal”. Proper disposal is crucial not only for environmental reasons but also to ensure data security and regulatory compliance. By partnering with specialized disposal services, businesses can safely and securely dispose of their obsolete servers, mitigating risks associated with data breaches and contributing to sustainable e-waste management practices.
Secure and Certified Data Destruction Services
Secure and certified data destruction guarantees the safe elimination of sensitive information. To ensure privacy and security, the company keeps confidential media destruction certified videography and provides, on completion, videotape evidence showing the destruction process of all media and documents on site and audits for witnessing the destruction process either at one of their CCTV-controlled facilities or their clients’ premises. The removal and destruction of media can be scheduled on a weekly, fortnightly, or monthly basis, according to a client’s convenience.
Secure data destruction is vital in safeguarding confidential property and also an organization’s privacy and business interests. Recovering media and documents from e-waste and refurbishing them could lead to leakage of private as well as sensitive business information. In Singapore, data protection acts and regulations have been set to guide organizations in destroying media and documents containing confidential or private information, and leaving no room for error or negligence in their destruction
