1. Once the tugboat arrives at Semakau Landfill, it disengages itself and returns to TMTS with an emptied barge.
Photo credit: National Environmental Agency Singapore
The Semakau landfill is located about 8km south of Singapore. A 7km perimeter rock bund was built to enclose a part of the sea off the island of Semakau and Sekang in order to form a designated area for waste disposal. The bund is lined with a non-permeable membrane and a layer of clay, in order to ensure that the waste disposed is contained within the designated landfill area. Facilities are also built on the Semakau landfill to ensure that the whole operation is self-sustainable.
Semakau Landfill
2. The solid waste collected is then unloaded by large excavators with specially designed grabs, after which the solid waste is then placed onto a 35 tonne payload off-road ramp.
Photo credit: National Environmental Agency Singapore
Besides the disposal of waste, visitors can also take part in a variety of activities, ranging from intertidal tours to taking part in interest group activities such as stargazing. Imagine that!
Latest: Expansion of Semakau landfill is currently undergoing and NEA is aiming to complete expansion by Jan 2015!
“Semakau reaching first-phase capacity”- AsiaOne News“NEA plan seeks to limit damage from landfill expansion”-Eco-Business
let us take a look at where a piece of waste will eventually end up!
3. A 10-m wide paved roadway provides access to all sections of the landfill. The dump trucks travel to a designated tipping site and unload the incinerated ash and non-incinerable waste. Bulldozers and compactors are then used to level and compact the incinerated ash and non-incinerable waste.
Photo credit: National Environmental Agency Singapore
4. Each area of land that is filled with waste is then covered with a layer of earth once it has been filled to ground level. After which, flora and fauna take root to form a green landscape. A new plot of landfill for subsequent waste disposal is activated by sealing off the concrete pipes that connect the plot of land to the sea.
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