Republic Polytechnic A347 Solid and Hazardous Waste Management Problem 04: It'll Cost You Worksheet

OFFICIAL (CLOSED) \ NON-SENSITIVE
A347 Solid and Hazardous Waste Management Activity Owner: Priscilla To (Dr)
Module Chair: Lily Ganda (Dr) Approved by: Laura Yap (Dr)
Republic Polytechnic
A347 Solid and Hazardous Waste Management
Problem 04: It’ll Cost You…
Worksheet
Use the excel worksheet below to help you solve today’s problem.
(You will need to complete the cells highlighted in yellow and with orange text.)
Waste Generation - Refer to Excel Worksheet “A. Map”.
1. Why is the total waste disposed of per capita reported at 0.78 kg1/day when other statistics show that waste
generation in Singapore is approximately 3.84 kg/day/capita?
*Per capita means per person
Singapore does not only contain residents but also industries and offices. The statistics with 3.84
kg/day/capita take into account waste generated by residences, industries and offices. Total waste
disposed of per capita (0.78 kg1/day) is reduced when it only takes residences into account.
2. Calculate the total waste generated for this estate in kg. Input into Cell C3. The average waste generated
per person in the estate is 0.85kg. (Total number of people in the estate = 6,689)
=6689 people *0.85kg
=5685.65kg
Waste Collection and Transfer
3. In many countries, domestic waste is collected once per week. How often should collection in this
Woodlands estate occur? Why should it be that often? What is the consequence if waste collection is less
frequent?
Domestic waste should be collected once a week . The consequence will be a strong smell of odour due to
the accumulation of domestic waste in the compactor. It should be at least once a week so
domestic waste does not accumulate and overflow the collection bins. So that pest will also not
come and affect the residents.
It will also affect residents health greatly
4. a. Before final disposal, waste is transferred several times. List the transfers that occur between throwing
the rubbish into the collection chute and final disposal site in Singapore’s context.
- Rubbish from house is thrown into collection chute
- Rubbish is transferred from collection chute into built-in compactors
- Compacted waste is collected by waste collection trucks
- Waste collection trucks transfer the compacted waste to Senoko Incineration Plant for disposal
b. What are other possible transfers that occur outside of Singapore?

- In Singapore almost all of Singapore’s non-recyclable waste is incinerated, with the ash and some solid
waste shipped to a man-made island nearby that doubles as a nature reserve such as Pulua Semaukau.
- Singapore also exports recyclable waste to other countries overseas such as Australia and Indonesia for
processing and recycling.
Capital costs - Refer to Excel Worksheet “B. Total Cost Calculations”.
Capital expenditure refers to the one-time cost of setting up a system (commonly referred to as start-up cost).
5. (Line 5) What kind of infrastructure is required within the estate for the setup of:
a. Option 1 – Conventional waste collection?
- Centralised chute
- Compactor
1
Key Environmental Statistics 2020 from MEWR:
https://www.mse.gov.sg/docs/default-source/default-document-library/grab-our-
research/key-environmental-statistics-2020.pdf
Copyright © 2021 Republic Polytechnic, Singapore 1

- Bins
b. Option 2 – Pneumatic waste conveyance system?

- Underground piping for pneumatic waste conveyance
- Air suction system to create air vacuum in pipes
- Sealed container to contain waste
- Rubbish chute and hoppers in households
6. (Line 6)
a. Examine the land requirement (or GFA – Gross Floor Area) to set up bin centres, also known as waste
collection stations. Calculate the amount of income that could be collected if the land was developed for
sale instead. Assume the going rate for HDB land is $3000/m2.
Option 1 – Option 2 –
Conventional Pneumatic
No. of collection points in the estate 13 1
GFA per collection point (approx) ~ 25 m2 ~ 5 m2
Total GFA for this estate’s waste collection 13 * 25 = 325m2 1x5= 5m2
stations
Income lost from GFA used for waste collection $3000 * 325m2 = $3000x5m2=
stations (enter into Line 6) $975 000 $15 000
b. How does land requirement compare between Option 1 and Option 2?
Option 1 uses more land as compared to Option 2 due to it having more collection points in the estate.
7. (Line 7) The rear-loading and mobile vacuum vehicles are shown below. Explain the difference in design
between the two vehicles. How does that explain the difference in the cost of the vehicles?
Fig.1. Rear-loading vehicle Fig.2. Vacuum collection vehicle

http://www.colex.com.sg/disposal_services.html http://www.iswa.org/uploads/tx_iswaknowledgebase/
ctt_2007_2.pdf
The rear loading vehicle is cheaper in cost as it only needs to collect the waste from the compactor at the
collection point by lifting the bin. The only compartments inside are the bin and loading door at the rear of the
vehicle, so it is cheaper.
Vacuum collection vehicle is more expensive as compared to rear loading vehicle as it uses more technology
such as vacuum suction in order to suck out the waste from the collection station
Operational Costs - Refer to Excel Worksheet “C. Collection Cost Calculations”.
8. (Line 26) The collection truck needs to travel from collection point to collection point to gather the rubbish.
Figure 3 below shows an example.

Fig.3. Waste collection routes

http://www.caliper.com/Press/trash1.jpg
a. Option 1 – Conventional waste collection: Draw out the recommended route for the truck to take from
block to block. Estimate the distance covered within the estate in km and enter it into Line 26.
0.05 + 0.05+0.05 + 0.05 + 0.05 + 0.05 + 0.05+0.05+0.05+0.12 +0.12 +0.15 + 0.12 + 0.15 = 1.11 km
b. Option 2 – Pneumatic waste conveyance system: What is the route a mobile vacuum truck would take
to access the collection point? Enter the distance in km into Line 26. How much distance is saved in
collecting the waste this way? How does that affect time and cost needed for collection?
(Hint: Does the vacuum truck need to enter the estate?)
The route taken will be from the main road directly to the collection point. The estimated distance would
be 0.04 km.
Distance saved = 1.11 - 0.04(estimated) = 1.07 km
Using the pneumatic waste conveyance, the distance required to travel to the collection point is shorter,
so time required is shorter. Cost needed is cheaper as well as less money is spent on fuel.
9. (Line 28-30) How does the vehicle capacity affect waste collection?
If the vehicle capacity is high,the number of collected waste per trip will also increase hence, reducing the
amount of trips needed to collect the waste per week.
10. Waste transfer

a. (Line 33) After gathering a full load, what is the distance the collection truck travels in order to empty the
waste at the incineration plant? Enter this distance in Line 33 (in km) for both options.
5km because the last collection point is the same for both options.
b. (Line 34) If one truck cannot carry all the waste, multiple trips to the incineration plant are required.
Multiply the distance from Q10a by the number of trips the collection truck needs to take, assuming that
only a single vehicle is used. Calculate and enter into Line 34.
(Total distance covered in transfer = Line 33 * no. of trips)
Total distance covered in transfer = 5km x 1 trip = 5km ( for both options)
11. Fuel costs

a. (Line 39) Typical fuel efficiency for waste collection vehicles is 1.2 km/L. Why is this so much lower than
passenger cars (15-25 km/L)?
Higher fuel efficiency, the more efficient it is. Waste collection vehicles, especially for conventional
waste systems, need to continuously start, stop and idle because they need to have a lot of short trips
when going to each residence. As the amount of waste collected gets heavier, more fuel is also used to
travel the same amount of distance. Hence, more fuel is needed for waste collection vehicles to
operate.
b. (Line 40) For each option, how many litres of fuel is needed for daily transport of waste, for this estate?
Calculate and enter this in Line 40.
1.2 km uses 1 L of fuel.

Conventional: 1.2km/L x 6.11km = 7.332L

Pneumatic: 1.2km/L x 5.04km = 6.048L
12. (Line 47-49) What is involved in maintenance of a collection vehicle? What contributes to increased
maintenance costs?
- Engine maintenance / modifications

- Tyres maintenance / modification
- Cleaning of Pneumatic vacuum tubes
- Maintenance of lifting mechanism in conventional waste vehicle
What contributes to increased maintenance costs?

-Wear and Tear (high degree of wear and tear)
- More usage of the waste vehicle (trips)
-Different types of tyres (high performance tyres)
- Type of engine used (more environmentally friendly ones require more expensive maintenance)
13. Manpower
a. (Line 52-55) Complete the table below and enter the values into Line 52, 54 and 55.
Line Option 1 – Conventional Option 2 – Pneumatic

52 # of workers (driver + workers 3 1
needed to collect wastes)
53 Minutes per collection point 4 5
(approx.)
54 # of collection points 13 1
55 Collection Time 13*4 = 52 5 *1=5
b. How does manpower and manpower time requirement differ between Option 1 and Option 2? How does
this affect manpower cost?
Option 1 requires more manpower and manpower time requirement(collection time), compared to
Option 2. The higher manpower needed and the longer the working hours, the higher the salary
(manpower cost).
For example, for pneumatic collection, while there is only 1 collection point, more time is spent on that
collection point because we need to wait for the vacuum to work and suck in all the waste.
14. (Line 64) Senoko Incineration Plant charges $81.00 per ton of waste accepted for incineration. Calculate the
daily incineration fee incurred by the waste generated in this estate and enter it into Line 64.
Convert kg to tonnes
1 kg=0.001 tonnes
5685.65kg=5685.65kg * 0.001 tonnes
=5.685 tonnes
Incineration fee=$81 per tonne
1 tonne=$81
$81 x 5.685 tonnes = $460.54
Cost Analysis
Three graphs have been plotted on Excel Worksheet B.

- Graph X. Capital Expenditure
- Graph Y. Operating Expenditure
- Graph Z. Operating Expenditure (minus Incineration Fee and System Maintenance)
15. Capital Costs

a. (Line 10) How much would each household need to pay upon purchase of their flat to fully finance each
waste collection system? Based on these two amounts, comment on which system residents might
prefer.
Conventional: $738.41
Pneumatic: $1771.67
Residents will prefer the conventional system because it is cheaper.
b. (Graph X) What is responsible for the bulk of the capital cost? (Aside: why then is the pneumatic waste
system not implemented in already developed estates?)
Installation and equipment is responsible for the bulk of the capital cost. The pneumatic waste system is
not implemented in already developed estates because they would need to tear down the building

and install all the pipes again for a pneumatic system to be implemented. Thus, they are not
implemented in already developed estates. If a pneumatic system were to be installed, it would
need proper planning and decision making before the estate were to be built.
c. How can capital costs be reduced? (Hint: In Excel Worksheet B, change figures in the line #s given and
observe how the capital costs change.)
Chang Decrease or By (what action)… How this action directly or

e Line… increase… indirectly decreases cost
5 Decrease installation By improving technology Decrease installation and
and equipment costs and design; equipment costs
cheaper materials
6 Decrease Gross Floor By building an underground Reduces income loss from
Area needed for collection pneumatic waste collection waste collection systems
terminals system which only has 1
collection terminal and needs
less gross floor area.
7 Decrease # of vehicles By increasing the capacity Decreases vehicle cost
needed of the waste collection vehicle
16. Operational Costs

a. (Line 21) HDB residents pay a monthly Service and Conservancy (S&C) fee for the upkeep of the flat,
which includes waste handling. Based on these two amounts, comment on which system residents
might prefer.
Conventional: $255 945.92
Pneumatic: $458 652.55
Residents will prefer the conventional waste system because it is cheaper.
b. (Graph Y) What aspect is responsible for the bulk of the operational cost?
For conventional systems, the incineration fee is responsible for the bulk of the operational cost. But for
pneumatic systems, the system maintenance fee is responsible.
c. (Graph Z) If we do not factor incineration fees and system maintenance, what aspect contributes most
to operational cost for conventional waste collection? Referring also to Q15b, how does the pneumatic
system cut costs on one hand, but increase costs on the other hand?
Manpower fees for waste collection contributes the most. With the pneumatic system, less manpower is
required, so manpower fees is lower. However, the amount of system maintenance required for the
pneumatic system infrastructure is much higher, which increases operational costs.
d. What are some actions that can reduce the operating cost of waste collection? (Hint: Identify the
differences between Option 1 and Option 2 that yield lower cost. In Excel Worksheet C, change
numbers in the line #s given and observe how various operating costs change.)
Chang Decrease or By (what action)… How this action directly or

e Line… increase… indirectly decreases cost
19 Decrease system by installing equipment that Decrease system maintenance
maintenance cost require less maintenance, cost
for pneumatic system,
improving technology to
reduce choking of pipes
22 Decrease total waste by ensuring that the people Decreases the number of trips
generated for the estate living in the estate recycle needed to collect the waste
more often and do not throw generated.
away waste unnecessarily.
26 Decrease collection by decreasing number of Decrease system maintenance

distance within estate collection points; cost
by planning an efficient and
shortest collection route

32 Decrease number of trips by generating less waste; Decreases fuel usage and
needed by using vehicles with manpower cost
larger capacity or more
compaction
33 Decrease distance to by placing collection points Decreases fuel usage

Senoko Incineration Plant closer to Senoko Incineration Decrease transfer time and thus
Plant manpower cost
39 Increase fuel efficiency By having regular Increase maintenance cost and
maintenance of the vehicle decrease fuel cost
41 Lower cost of fuel By switching to cheaper, Decrease fuel cost
more environmentally
friendly fuels
47 Decrease need for by switching to more Decrease maintenance cost
vehicle maintenance efficient vehicles
52 Decrease in number of by using a pneumatic waste Decreases labour cost

workers collection system instead of a
conventional waste collection
system cause it only needs
one worker (mainly the driver
of the waste truck).
54 Decrease # of By using pneumatic Decrease maintenance cost and
collection points conveyance labour cost
17. How are these cost-saving actions currently being implemented in the waste industry?
New HDB estates are implementing a pneumatic waste collection system. While it has high capital and
maintenance costs, it is more efficient in collecting waste because it saves costs on manpower and fuel for
waste collection trucks. In the long run, it will save more money for us.
The government is also encouraging people to reduce the amount of waste they generate by spreading
awareness of recycling, so less incineration of waste is needed, hence reducing incineration cost.
18. Assuming the costlier option offers large benefits, what can be done to make the more costly option more
attractive?
This can be done by offering subsidies for those who chooses to live in HDBs with pneumatic waste
collection systems to make it more attractive
To make it more attractive, those who live in HDBs with pneumatic waste collection systems do not need to
pay the refuse removal fee or they can get a discount.
Bringing in Non-Cost Factors: Weighted Average Method
19. What are other factors besides cost that contribute to the decision of a waste collection framework?
- Land space(if more space is taken up by waste,there are lesser space available for amenities such as
shopping malls,schools and hospitals to be built.Also,singapore has also scarce land space )
- Population (Amount of waste generated per day)
- Road network (Route of neighbourhood estate)
- Crew size (manpower available, more manpower → the faster job is done(depends)
- Climate/Topography ( How fast waste can decompose; if it decomposes faster due to weather-heat, we
need to collect waste more often).
20. Assign the weight that you would give each of these factors if you were the resident. Justify your decisions.
● Land space - 50% because the more space taken up by waste collection systems, the less
space available for amenities such as shopping malls, schools, hospitals, etc to be built
● Population - 20% because the higher the population, the more waste generated, so waste collection cost
will be higher → residents have to pay more
● Road network - 18% because if the route of the waste collection around the neighbourhood is
efficient, there will be less Greenhouse gases being emitted into the atmosphere since there
are fewer trips required.
● Crew size - 10% because the more manpower required, the more jobs available for
unemployed people

● Climate/Topography - 2% because the land in Singapore is naturally quite flat, there are not
many different terrains in Singapore. The climate in Singapore is also quite constant with either
shine or rain so there is a fixed climate in Singapore, so we know how waste “acts” in this
climate.
21. Grading
a. For each option, give a grade according to how that option performs in each criterion, i.e. a score
between 1 (poor performance) to 5 (best performance). When you have completed this, calculate the
final score using the weighted average method. (Hint: You may refer to the matrix below.) What does
this final score mean?
Weightage is the percentage

Option 1: Conventional system
Land space (50%) - Poor (1)
Population (20%) - Medium (3)
Road network (18%) - Medium (3)
Crew size (10%) - Best (5)
Climate/Topography (2%) - Best (5)
Total: (50% *1) + (20% x 3) + (18% x 3) + (10% x 5) + (2% x 5) = 2.24
Option 2: Pneumatic system
Land space - Best (5)

Population - Medium (3)
Road network - Best (5)
Crew size - Medium (3)
Climate/Topography - Best (5)
Total: (50% x 5) + (20% x 3) + (18% x 5) + (10% x 3) + (2% x 5) =4.4
b. Which option scored better? Why?

Based on our 2 options above,we have concluded that option 2 is better as compared to option
1.Because option 2 has a higher score(4.4) than option 1 (2.24)
22. Can you summarise what influences the decision behind choosing a waste collection framework?
- Population → Affects the amount of waste generated per day per capita. If more waste is being generated, we need
to take into consideration the capacity of the waste collection system.
- Road infrastructure → Affects the amount of fuel used by the waste collection vehicles
- Cost → Affects the decision making of people. More people will definitely choose the cheaper option as compared
to the more expensive option of waste collection to save up on costs.
- Technology → More efficient waste collection systems mean that trips can be less frequent, reducing operation
cost

Going Further
1. In one year, how much money is involved in waste collection and conveyance in
Singapore? Do a quick calculation. Assume that for the 13 flats (1984 units)
mentioned in this problem statement, the operating costs are about
SGD$250,000/year using the conventional waste collection system. Assume
there are 990,320 HDB units in Singapore. (Note: This does not even include
condominium, commercial and industrial waste collection).
…
2. The fees charged by waste collectors such as SembWaste Pte Ltd, 800 Super
Waste Management Pte Ltd, and ALBA W&H Smart City Pte Ltd have increased
over the years. Can you explain why? What can the waste industries do in order
to lower the fees?
…
3. Commercial units are charged collection fees by the weight of waste collected.
Why are they not charged a flat fee like HDB flats are? How different are the
fees?
…
4. Graphing the plots as part of data analysis – try to reproduce the bar graphs
created in the Excel Worksheet B.
…
Resources
1. The Singmatic Mobile System

2. Kogler, Waste Collection, A report with support from ISWA Working Group on
collection and Transportation Technology, 2007
http://www.iswa.org/uploads/tx_iswaknowledgebase/ctt_2007_2.pdf
3. Bai and Sutanto, Practices and Challenges of Solid Waste Management in
Singapore, Waste Management 22 (2002), pp. 557-567
(Restricted access via www.sciencedirect.com)
4. NEA on Waste Management: http://www.nea.gov.sg/energy-waste/waste-
management
5. Richard C. Porter, The Economics of Waste, p.40.
<End of Worksheet 4>

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OFFICIAL (CLOSED) \ NON-SENSITIVE

Waste Generation - Refer to Excel Worksheet “A. Map”.

Waste Collection and Transfer

b. What are other possible transfers that occur outside of Singapore?

Capital costs - Refer to Excel Worksheet “B. Total Cost Calculations”.

Copyright © 2021 Republic Polytechnic, Singapore 1

b. Option 2 – Pneumatic waste conveyance system?

b. How does land requirement compare between Option 1 and Option 2?

Fig.1. Rear-loading vehicle Fig.2. Vacuum collection vehicle

Operational Costs - Refer to Excel Worksheet “C. Collection Cost Calculations”.

Copyright © 2021 Republic Polytechnic, Singapore 2

Fig.3. Waste collection routes

Distance saved = 1.11 - 0.04(estimated) = 1.07 km

10. Waste transfer

11. Fuel costs

Copyright © 2021 Republic Polytechnic, Singapore 3

Conventional: 1.2km/L x 6.11km = 7.332L

- Engine maintenance / modifications

What contributes to increased maintenance costs?

Line Option 1 – Conventional Option 2 – Pneumatic

Three graphs have been plotted on Excel Worksheet B.

15. Capital Costs

Residents will prefer the conventional system because it is cheaper.

Copyright © 2021 Republic Polytechnic, Singapore 4

Chang Decrease or By (what action)… How this action directly or

16. Operational Costs

Residents will prefer the conventional waste system because it is cheaper.

Chang Decrease or By (what action)… How this action directly or

26 Decrease collection by decreasing number of Decrease system maintenance

Copyright © 2021 Republic Polytechnic, Singapore 5

33 Decrease distance to by placing collection points Decreases fuel usage

52 Decrease in number of by using a pneumatic waste Decreases labour cost

Copyright © 2021 Republic Polytechnic, Singapore 6

Weightage is the percentage

Option 2: Pneumatic system

Land space - Best (5)

b. Which option scored better? Why?

Copyright © 2021 Republic Polytechnic, Singapore 7

1. The Singmatic Mobile System

Copyright © 2021 Republic Polytechnic, Singapore 8

<End of Worksheet 4>

Copyright © 2021 Republic Polytechnic, Singapore 9

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