SINGAPORE – The first recycling plant in Singapore that can repurpose glass waste into new products opened on Tuesday and it is diverting large amounts of glass waste from the Semakau landfill, which is estimated to fill up by 2035.
Capable of processing up to five tonnes of glass waste an hour, the 16,000 sq m facility – run by Abraclean – can process up to 12,000 tonnes of glass waste annually.
The recycled glass product will be used to produce Abrablast, a patented abrasive that removes unwanted coatings such as rust and paints from metal surfaces in industrial applications.
Officiating at the plant’s opening, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu noted that since it started operations in 2021, there have been plans to recycle some 3,500 tonnes of glass waste by March 2024, with 80 per cent of processed glass waste turned into Abrablast.
“The remaining 20 per cent of glass dust is not wasted either. It can be used in the production of lightweight bricks and construction materials,” she said.
Holding a general waste disposal facility licence issued by the National Environment Agency (NEA), Abraclean is authorised to produce 50 tonnes of Abrablast a month.
While most recycling facilities require glass to be sorted according to colours before being treated, segregation is not needed in Abrablast production. And no heating is needed to melt the glass, as the plant crushes the glass as materials for the product.
Abraclean director Lau Kee Siong said that while the plant had cost less than $1 million to set up, costs to hire engineers to design and commission the plant were substantial since the plant was mooted in 2020. The plant now employs 11 Singaporeans and 24 foreigners.
Mr Lau said the idea to use recycled glass stemmed from the disuse of sandblasting, as this form of abrasive cleaning has been shown to cause lung cancer.
He also saw how the sheer amount of glass waste could be utilised – Singapore generates 75,000 tonnes of glass waste at a recycling rate of 13 per cent.
“Here (Abraclean) is where we can do something – make money, (and) at the same time help to delay Semakau from being filled up by 2035.”
