Singapore’s Extended Producer Responsibility Scheme for E-Waste Recycling

For the last couple of months, LABRI has been studying the effects of extended producer responsibility (EPR) schemes on waste collection and recycling. This blog post summarises part of the research that we conducted about the EPR scheme that was recently implemented in Singapore for e-waste (including ICT equipment, light bulbs, and large appliances). 

The post seeks to answer the following two questions:

1. What is Singapore’s EPR scheme for e-waste?

2. How effective has the scheme been in increasing the collection and recycling of e-waste?

We conducted this review to inform the support that we are providing to government and industry stakeholders in the Philippines to improve the safety of used lead-acid battery (ULAB) recycling, but we hope that it will have wider lessons for other contexts.

EPR Schemes

An EPR scheme is a policy tool that makes the producer of a good legally responsible for its recycling. EPR schemes can ensure that used or waste products are safely collected and recycled. For hazardous waste streams like ULABs, EPR schemes have the potential to prevent environmental contamination and reduce the risk of lead poisoning. Evidence from Brazil suggests that EPR schemes may be an effective tool to promote formal recycling of ULABs in low- and middle-income countries (Smith, 2025).

Context: the Singaporean E-Waste Management System

Singapore produces more than 60,000 tonnes of e-waste every year (NEA, 2018). E‑waste contains valuable materials such as copper, aluminium and precious metals, alongside hazardous substances like mercury, cadmium and brominated flame retardants (NEA Environmental Protection Division, 2015). 

The development of the Singaporean E-Waste Management System happened in two major stages: A voluntary partnership phase (2016-2020), followed by a full EPR phase. The National Environment Authority (NEA) initiated the National Voluntary Partnership Program in 2016. The program aimed to encourage stakeholders from the entire e-waste value chain to partner with the NEA to enhance e-waste recycling, with the NEA creating incentives to encourage recycling. Covered producers, retailers, collectors or recyclers could voluntarily decide the type of waste to recycle. If these stakeholders in the partnership met certain recycling criteria, they would receive funding from the NEA (NEA Chemical Control and Management Department, 2022). 

During the voluntary phase (2016-2020), the partnership led to the collection of over 4,000 tonnes of e-waste (NEA Chemical Control and Management Department, 2022). While this demonstrated stakeholder willingness to engage, the collected volume represented only a small fraction of the estimated 60,000 tonnes generated annually. To strengthen the system and close the loop on the recycling of e-waste, the Resource Sustainability Act was launched. This meant a shift from a voluntary system to a legally binding EPR scheme. The introduction of this act was motivated by the Green Plan’s target to reduce waste sent to landfills by 30% in 2030 (Green Plan, 2026), a target that came out of Singapore’s commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals. 

What is Singapore’s EPR scheme for e-waste?

Singapore’s EPR scheme is established under the Resource Sustainability Act and is administered by the NEA. The system works through a national Producer Responsibility Scheme (PRS), which applies to producers that meet certain conditions. There are five key components to the EPR: 

1. Producers (defined as companies that manufacture or import regulated products for supply on the local market) are required to register with the NEA and report how many regulated products they supply to Singapore’s markets. 

2. Producers that meet supply more tonnage than the prescribed threshold have to join a Producer Responsibility Scheme (PRS), where they share responsibility for collecting and treating their end-of-life products (NEA Waste Management Division, 2026). The threshold differs by product type, since a washing machine weighs much more than a lightbulb.

3. The NEA sets collection targets for the different products regulated under the EPR.

4. The NEA appoints a Producer Responsibility Scheme (PRS) operator who is responsible for organising nationwide collection and meeting the targets set by the NEA on behalf of producers.

5. Producers finance the system by paying membership fees based on their market share and collection and recycling fees based on the amount of e-waste actually collected and treated.

Together, these requirements ensure that producers, retailers and the PRS operator all play defined roles in financing, collecting and properly recycling e-waste, while the NEA oversees compliance and monitors progress towards national collection targets.

How effective has the scheme been in increasing the collection and recycling of e-waste?

Singapore does not publish comprehensive annual e‑waste collection and recycling statistics. As a result, it is hard to judge the effectiveness of the EPR. Nevertheless, the available information seems to indicate that the system has a positive effect. 

Collection targets

The e-waste regulated under the EPR system is divided into five categories, which are subdivided into specific product types. For each of these product types, a collection target is set. The collection target is measured as a percentage of the weight put to market. For example, to achieve a collection target of 50%, half of the products put on the market need to be collected again. The table below shows the different collection rates set by the NEA. 

Table 1. Overview of covered products and collection targets (Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment, 2020)

Product Category	Product Type	Collection  Target (% of put to market weight)
ICT Equipment	Printers, Personal Computers, Laptops, Mobile Phones, Tablets, Routers, Modems, Set-top Boxes, Servers	20%
Large Appliances	Refrigerators, Air-conditioners, Washing Machines, Dryers, Televisions	60%
	Electric Mobility Devices (including Personal Mobility Devices, Power-assisted Bicycles and Electric Mobility Scooters)	20%
Batteries	Portable Batteries	20%
	Industrial Batteries	No target set
	Hybrid & Electric Vehicle Batteries	No target set
Lamps	Bulbs and tubes	20%
Solar PV Panels	All types	No target set

Collection network

In addition to rising volumes, the e-waste collection network has expanded significantly. In October 2024, there were about 870 drop off points for e-waste. By October 2025, this was around 1,000, and the growth was expected to continue into 2026 to a total of 1,015 so that every community engagement centre has its own drop off point (Begum, 2025).

Collection of e-waste

Although comprehensive annual statistics on e-waste collection under Singapore’s EPR scheme are not routinely published, several figures can be reconstructed from media reporting and public statements by the PRS operator, ALBA E‑Waste Smart Recycling Pte Ltd. 

An interview with ALBA reports that 34,000 tonnes of e-waste were recycled cumulatively between the introduction of the EPR scheme in 2021 and October 2025 (Begum, 2025). The same article notes that by October 2025, approximately 10,000 tonnes had already been collected that year, which was stated to be around 60% higher than the amount collected by October 2024. Another article highlights that 3,500 tonnes were collected in 2021, the first year of the mandatory scheme, which already represented roughly a tripling compared to collection volumes under the earlier voluntary system (Gunuwan et al., 2025).

We used this information to estimate annual collection volumes. These estimates suggest that the volume of e-waste collected for recycling in Singapore more than tripled between 2021 and 2025.

Method for estimation

Step 1: Estimating full-year collection for 2025

By October 2025, 10,000 tonnes had been collected. Assuming collection volumes are spread relatively evenly throughout the year, we calculated a full-year estimate as:

10,000 tonnes ÷ 10 months × 12 months = 12,000 tonnes (estimated)

Step 2: Estimating full-year collection for 2024

The October 2025 figure was reported to be 60% higher than the amount collected by October 2024. This implies:

10,000 tonnes = 160% of October 2024 volume

October 2024 volume = 10,000 ÷ 1.6 = 6,250 tonnes

Again assuming relatively even monthly collection:

6,250 tonnes ÷ 10 months × 12 months = 7,500 tonnes (estimated)

Step 3: Known collection volume for 2021

Media reporting indicates that 3,500 tonnes were collected in 2021, the first year of the EPR scheme.

Step 4: Estimating collection volumes for 2022 and 2023

With cumulative collection between 2021 and October 2025 reported as 34,000 tonnes, and estimated values for 2021, 2024, and 2025 available, we estimate the amount collected in  2022 and 2023 as:

34,000 − (3,500 + 7,500 + 12,000) = 11,000 tonnes

In the absence of year-specific data for 2022 and 2023, we distribute this remaining volume proportionally across the two years as roughly 5,000 and 6,000 tonnes respectively. 

Collection rate

The collection rate is measured as a proportion of waste produced in that year. This statistic is unfortunately not publicly available. Nevertheless, we can estimate the collection rate by using the 2018 baseline figure of 60,000 tonnes of e-waste produced annually, an assumed growth rate in e-waste of 5% each year and the estimates above. From this, we can see the trend in e-waste collection over time since the introduction of the policy (see Figure 1).

Figure 1: Estimated e-waste collection rates in Singapore from 2011-2025

The absence of publicly available category-specific data makes it difficult to assess the system in detail, meaning the available results only show the overall trend and not what happens for each product type. For example, higher collection of heavy e-waste could hide lower collection of lighter items. In addition, a causal link between the introduction of EPR and the increase in collection has not been formally established. Nevertheless, available figures suggest that total e-waste collection in Singapore increased from about 3,500 tonnes in 2021 to around 12,000 tonnes in recent years.

What this means for LABRI

Singapore’s experience shows that a mandatory EPR scheme for waste streams can have a substantial impact on rates of formal collection, if designed and implemented effectively. This further supports the existing evidence from Brazil that properly enforced EPR schemes can reduce improper disposal or informal recycling of hazardous waste streams (Smith, 2025).

LABRI is open to working with governments across ASEAN and beyond to support policies like EPR schemes, which can cost-effectively reduce lead exposure and health risks from unsafe ULAB recycling. Please contact us at contact@labrecyclinginitiative.com to learn more.