Study: Underground landfill possible [News]

By Feng Zengkun, The Straits Times, 12 Nov 2012.

Singapore could have an underground landfill to contain about 40 years’ worth of rubbish, a feasibility study has found.

The facility would be in western Singapore and take up about 8 sq km, slightly more than one-hundredth of the country’s land size.

The findings of the government-initiated study were presented last week during the 13th World Conference of the Associated Research Centres for Urban Underground Space, which ended last Friday. Singapore hosted the event for the first time.

Urban Redevelopment Authority group director Richard Hoo said: “We are still at the design and study stages. We have to make sure the cost equation works out.”

Currently, organic waste here is incinerated. The ashes and non-incinerable waste are deposited on Pulau Semakau, an offshore landfill in use since 1999.

Work on the Semakau landfill, which is expected to have a completed capacity of 63 million cubic m, is ongoing.

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