SINGAPORE — Even as the authorities get cracking on a new landfill cell at Pulau Semakau, some establishments are doing their part to not add to Singapore’s dwindling waste disposal space.

Their strategy: Digester machines that convert food waste into non-potable water, which can then be disposed of into the sewers.

Statistics from the National Environment Agency show that more are installing such equipment on-site, with the latest count standing at over 20 premises, including hotels, supermarkets and educational institutions.

The NEA’s figures show that more than 700,000 tonnes of food waste were generated last year. But only 13 per cent of the waste was recycled while the remaining 87 per cent was disposed of at incineration plants.

The situation could improve soon. Some of the early adopters already have plans to add these machines, say those interviewed by TODAY.

Marina Bay Sands (MBS), for example, has five food waste digesters — two at the hotel, one at its Expo Convention Hall, and the last two at the food courts at its mall, Rasapura and Nanyang 1983.

The waste-to-water process involves the machine increasing the speed of decomposition using biological means, such as maintaining optimal levels of aeration, moisture and temperature.

The integrated resort said it is looking into creating a centralised system that can process the food waste from all of its F&B tenants. The benefits of using food digesters, said MBS’ executive director for sustainability Kevin Teng, goes beyond reducing food waste.

“Besides reducing the overall food hauling and disposal costs, the data collected, such as the amount and types of waste generated, helps us to better manage our waste,” he said.

Mall management firm Lend Lease is another that is using food waste digesters. Its JEM mall in Jurong also has the machines, and Lend Lease is planning to roll them out later this year to its other two malls, 313@Somerset and Parkway Parade.

Although the food waste digester machines do not come cheap, the bigger stumbling block is the lack of space, said business owners.

Eco Wiz, a local supplier of these machines, said prices range from S$12,000 to S$95,000, depending on the machine’s waste-processing capability. But it has seen a greater uptake this year.

F&B Operator Koufu, which operates the Rasapura and Nanyang 1983 food courts at MBS, is one of those constrained by a space crunch, although it hopes to install food waste digesters at all its outlets. Most of its more than 30 outlets islandwide cannot spare the space, said its chief operating officer Edward Heng.

Food waste digesters require up to 28 sq m of floor space, depending on how much waste the machine is capable of processing in a day. Models offered by Eco Wiz can process between 50 kg and one tonne of food waste a day.

Besides space constraints, some clients face problems operating the machines too, said Eco Wiz. Food waste has to be sorted before being dumped into the machines because bones and non-food waste cannot be processed.

“Most of the problems lie with the difficulty in segregation. As a result, impurities are deposited into the machine,” said Eco Wiz. To solve the problem, the company provides in-house training programmes to educate clients on the operational aspects.