Press Release - First Official Partnership Between ALBA E-waste and Local Education Institution, ITE, Singapore

ALBA E-Waste Smart Recycling Pte Ltd ALBA E-Waste) and the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) has officially signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to cement their partnership in developing environmental education for sustainable resource management (e-waste). Dr Amy Khor, Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment, attended the Signing Ceremony on 18 July 2022.

Objectives of the MoU

The objective of the partnership is threefold:

1. To collaborate in building awareness and adoption of the circular economy in resource sustainability in e-waste management to support the statutory regulations of the Resource Sustainability Act (RSA) 2019

2. To collaborate in curriculum development and joint certification to promote Electrical and Electronics Equipment Waste Management to students, educators, businesses, and the general public, to be delivered through an online platform

3. To facilitate industry linkages locally or overseas to augment the learning and training of workforce

This marks the very first MoU ALBA E-Waste has signed with a local educational institute in Singapore. With the MoU, ALBA E-Waste builds upon its existing efforts in e-waste education to schools and the public. Currently, schools and communities may reach out to ALBA E-Waste to schedule for a free educational talk and an ad-hoc e-waste collection drive. To date, ALBA E-Waste have conducted over 60 such engagements since its inception and looks forward to reaching out to a broader spectrum of audience.

Launch of the Micro-Learning Course on Circular Green Economy and the Agents of Change for E-Waste (ACE) programme

As part of accomplishing the MoU’s second objective, ITE and ALBA E-Waste have crafted 5 Micro- Learning Courses (MLCs) on Circular Green Economy. These MLCs aim to build awareness and participation in Singapore's e-waste recycling ecosystem, established under the Resource Sustainability Act (RSA). The curriculum will enhance the environmental education landscape while providing opportunities for students and the public to learn critical knowledge on electrical and electronics equipment (EEE) waste management. Topics covered by the MLCs includes global regulations on e- waste, impacts of e-waste, local initiatives, e-waste recycling process and current domestic regulations.

At the end of the learning series, the participant will undergo an assessment to be certified in the ALBA E-Waste’s Agents of Change for E-Waste (ACE) programme. The ACE programme functions as the outreach arm following the participants’ completion of the MLCs. Interested participants can collaborate with ALBA E-Waste to organize events such as outreach talks to engage their stakeholders on the topic of e-waste, thus forming an active ACE in their community. To ensure the participants are properly equipped, ALBA E-Waste will support the participants with the content required, and if possible, logistics for events such as collection drives.

With the launch of the MLCs and the ACE programme, both ALBA E-Waste and ITE have taken a step further our shared purpose of nurturing a future-ready workforce for the green economy. Students as well as the public may sign up for the course for free by clicking here.

Participants can then choose to take the course anytime, anywhere so long as they have Internet access. This in line with our efforts to ensure environmental education remains accessible to as many people as possible.

“The launch of the curriculum and the ACE programme has been a well-anticipated development. This would encourage the development of an environmentally and socially responsible group of citizens, who can then lead by example amongst their peers,’ said Mr Jakob Lambsdorff, CEO of ALBA Singapore.

“We believe in teaching our students about sustainability and the circular economy. We also want to inculcate in them the habits of reducing waste and recycling as a way of life. Hence, we are very happy to cement our partnership with ALBA E-Waste today. Together, we can build awareness and participation in the e-waste recycling and management ecosystem. Through this partnership, we can better develop our students to work in, and be advocates for the green circular economy,” said Ms Low Khah Gek, CEO, ITE.

Update on the Producer Responsibility Scheme

From July 2021 to June 2022, ALBA E-Waste has collected 5745 tonnes of regulated E-Waste as the NEA-appointed Producer Responsibility Scheme Operator. This is more than four times the amount collected annually under previous voluntary schemes, and about 30% the consumer electrical and electronic equipment supplied in 2020. This is an encouraging sign that the system is working and growing. Additionally, ALBA E-Waste has deployed over 600 e-waste collection points island-wide, at shopping malls, large electronic retailers, supermarkets, government buildings and community centres. This is more than the original target of 400 collection points.

Although there are issues of improper E-Waste disposal and disposal of non-regulated items, ALBA E- Waste believes this can be rectified with a consistent education and outreach activities.

“The ACE programme in particular, would effectively enhance ALBA E-Waste’s existing outreach efforts, to raise awareness among the public of the need to manage e-waste responsibly. With the active participation in the ACE programme, we can readily spread a culture of responsible e-waste recycling from peer to peer,” said Mr Fons Krist, General Manager of ALBA E-Waste.