Singapore's First Metal Recovery Facility Reduces Weight Of Incineration Bottom Ash By 10 Per Cent [Press Release]

Singapore's First Metal Recovery Facility Reduces Weight Of Incineration Bottom Ash By 10 Per Cent Singapore, 1 December 2015 Since Singapore's first metal recovery facility started operations in July this year, it has reduced the weight of incineration bottom ash (IBA) it processes by 10 per cent in weight. This in turn, means that the lifespan of Semakau Landfill could be prolonged. This was highlighted today at the opening ceremony of REMEX Minerals Singapore's (REMEX) metal recovery facility at the Tuas Marine Transfer Station. 2 The facility is part of the National Environment Agency's (NEA) long-term strategy to manage solid waste in Singapore. The metal recovery facility uses magnetic and eddy current separators to recover ferrous metals and non-ferrous metals from IBA generated by Singapore's incineration plants. 3 Gracing the opening ceremony was Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Mr Masagos Zulkifli, who was given a tour of the facility. The 1.4-hectare facility processes up to 1,800 tonnes of IBA per day. Operations began in July this year and by the end of October, REMEX had recovered nearly 14,000 tonnes of metal from the IBA. 4 When we were awarded the contract, we were faced with two immediate challenges: the space constraints and designing a facility that could handle a large volume of incineration bottom ash. With this facility, we've been able to maximise the use of nearly every inch of space, and by operating at close to full capacity, we're able to match the output of our much larger facilities in Europe," said REMEX Minerals Singapore Managing Director, Venkat Patnaik. 5 The recovery of precious resources from our waste is in line with the plans under the Sustainable Singapore Blueprint's goal of Singapore being a Zero Waste Nation. While we explore innovative solutions to manage our waste more efficiently, we must all strive to make the practice of the 3Rs (recycle, reduce and reuse) a way of life," said NEA's Chief Executive Officer, Mr Ronnie Tay. 6 REMEX was awarded the tender by NEA in June 2014 to develop and operate the metal recovery facility. The company operates similar metal recovery facilities in the Netherlands and Germany. In Singapore, it employs about 40 staff. Source: NEA