WASTE MANAGEMENT STRATEGY AND PERFORMANCE

The Company continuously invests, innovates, and adopts leading-edge technology such as PPVC to significantly reduce construction waste. As a real estate developer and asset manager, majority of our waste is generated by our contractors and tenants. Waste from both construction sites and managed buildings are disposed of in accordance with local waste regulations.1

We engage NEA-licensed vendors to collect, treat and recycle waste from our managed buildings and construction sites.2 We target to reduce our waste intensity by 8% (from 2016 levels) for office and industrial buildings and 5% (from 2016 levels) for retail buildings by 2030. We also intend to cap the waste intensity from our construction sites at 40 kg/m2 by 2030.

In 2023, the absolute energy targets for corporate office and managed buildings were derived from the targeted waste intensity reductions. Inclusive of the operational performance of our construction sites3, an absolute targeted value of 5,800 tons (number rounded to nearest ten thousand) or below was obtained. The target was met for the year 2023. Refer to ISR 2024 for specific targets set and performance for the Company’s various operations.

All CDL contractors are incentivised to recover and recycle building materials, as they are allowed to retain any revenues and savings from materials recovery from the third-party recyclers or waste collected in the recycling of scrap or other demolition/construction materials. Recyclers and waste collectors provide specific bins on the construction site for this purpose, and all contractors are educated on the segregation and disposal requirements to support recovery and recycling efforts. Contractors may also benefit from various onsite construction waste recycling initiatives.

Stage in Project Lifecycle Key Waste Management Initiatives Benefits
Design Adopt PPVC technology for large-scale residential developments5 where applicable Reduce waste generation and pave the way for cleaner and safer construction sites
Adopt Building Information Modelling (BIM) and Virtual Design and Construction (VDC) technology Reduce construction waste through early identification of potential construction issues
Construction Adhere to CDL’s Construction and Demolition Waste Policy since 2009 for the adoption of sustainable construction practices Increase use of sustainable products by contractors and improved recycling rates for construction waste
Identify materials for reuse or recycling with reference to BCA’s Demolition Protocol Reduce waste generation and associated costs required to re-purchase materials
Reuse furnishings in our show flats, wherever the design or theme permits
Operation of Assets Implement recycling programmes for light bulbs, paper, plastic, aluminium cans, etc Divert waste from landfill
Introduce recycling programmes for our corporate office and managed buildings, where relevant
Pilot food waste systems for segregation and onsite treatment

Waste Reduction Performance

In line with the principles of circular economy, our holistic EHS management system framework ensures regular review of our waste minimisation efforts and recycling initiatives across all our properties.

In 2023, general, non-hazardous waste generation remained consistent for corporate office and managed buildings, compared to 2022 due to the stabilisation of office and retail operations.

In the same year, about 565 tonnes of recyclable waste were collected from our managed buildings. Since 2017, we have engaged tenants across all managed buildings to participate in our paper recycling programme. At our retail properties, recycling bins and facilities are provided to encourage the recycling of paper, plastic and metal by shoppers and tenants. In 2023, City Square Mall reported a recycling rate of 22%, which is above the national rate of 11.6% for large malls.4 Out of 511 tonnes of recyclable waste, 6.9 tonnes were attributed to food waste composted.

In 2023, construction waste disposed of at all the Company’s active construction sites amounted to 1,694 tonnes, with a waste intensity of 15.7 kg/m2. This is lower than the waste intensity in 2022 due to greater GFA constructed in 2023.

 

Note:
• Waste intensity figures for the Company’s active construction sites are for incinerated waste
1 General waste is sent to the waste-to-energy incineration plant, where energy is generated. The resulting incinerated ash is then transported to our only landfill, Semakau Island, for disposal
2 The Company generates negligible hazardous waste from our operation
3 Operational performance of construction site are directly added to the absolute target values for corporate office and managed buildings as the set targets for construction are based off completed projects in terms of waste intensity, while the reported numbers in the graphs are for yearly operational waste for construction sites.
4 The latest publicly available recycling rate for large malls in Singapore between 2021 and 2022 is 11.6% as per NEA reported findings from the 2022 Mandatory Waste Reporting
5 The use of PPVC became mandatory for selected residential non-landed Government Land Sale (GLS) sites from 1 November 2014 onwards. Prior to this regulation, CDL voluntarily embarked on a pioneering effort to build Singapore’s first largescale PPVC residential development (The Brownstone EC) in early 2014, setting the benchmark and world record of engaging close to 4,100 modules that were prefabricated offsite and assembled on-site.