Smaller Households, Bigger Waste? What Singapore Can Learn

As Singapore households become smaller, we face a paradox: our per-capita waste generation is trending down, yet the total volume of waste heading to Semakau landfill continues to creep upwards.

It may seem like we are throwing away less individually, but the mountain of waste keeps growing. Why?

The Shrinking Household Effect

Globally, research shows that smaller households generate more waste per person. OECD studies reveal that single-person households consume — and discard — more resources than multi-person households. Think about it:

• A large family might once have shared one TV, one fridge, or one set of pots and pans. Today, with more singles and couples, each home duplicates these same essentials.
• Electronics amplify the effect — where one radio once served a household, we now have multiple smartphones, laptops, and tablets per person.

This is not unique to Singapore. In countries like Japan, Germany, and the US, smaller households have been linked to higher per-capita consumption and waste intensity. A Romanian study even found that household spending on furnishings and equipment explained more than a third of the variation in municipal waste.

Lifestyle Shifts

Smaller households also tend to cook less. Eating out or ordering in adds layers of disposable packaging. Coupled with rising affluence and aspirations for comfort and convenience, this multiplies our waste footprint.

This is why — even as Singaporeans reduce daily waste per person from 0.88 kg in 2023 to 0.85 kg in 2024 — the total landfill intake remains high. Items left after recycling, such as bulky waste, electronics, and mixed materials, continue to trend upwards.

Counterpoint: Why Per-Capita Still Matters

Some might argue: isn’t declining per-capita waste a sign of success? It suggests that policies, education, and nudges are taking root. And in fairness, Singapore has achieved more than a 20% drop in per-capita waste over the past decade, alongside a 30% fall in waste-to-GDP intensity.

This is worth celebrating. But it cannot be the only metric. If the absolute tonnage to landfill keeps rising, Semakau’s life expectancy remains under threat.

What Other Countries Are Trying

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The good news: there are examples overseas of how to bend the curve.

• France’s Poppins app lets people borrow or rent idle household goods — from camping gear to baby cots — living by the motto “own less, have more.” Within weeks, 40,000 users signed up, with 65% of items lent for free.
• Furniture-as-a-service models (IKEA, Feather, West Elm) allow households to rent couches, tables, and lamps instead of buying them, reducing bulky waste.
• Decathlon has been piloting rental and repair schemes for sports gear, closing loops in what used to be a single-use product stream.

Each of these models tackles the duplication problem: not every household needs to buy — and later discard — the same items.

Singapore’s Path Forward

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We don’t have to look far — locally, sparks of innovation are already showing:

• BNL refurbishes and donates furniture, giving a second life to bulky items.
  
  
• CREUSE uses reclaimed wood and offers upcycled furniture rentals.
  
  
• NUS Zero Waste Testbed has trialed reusable food container rental systems, achieving a 95% return rate.
  
  
• South West CDC pilots with smart bins and reuse schemes demonstrate how behaviour can shift when the infrastructure supports it.

These are small steps, but they hint at a future where renting, sharing, and repairing become mainstream rather than niche.

Looking Ahead: The Trade-Offs We Must Face

If waste is bound to rise with demographics and affluence, the question is not how to eliminate it, but how to bend the curve. That means making trade-offs:

• Choosing access over ownership — borrowing or renting rarely used items.
  
  
• Normalising repair and reuse, even when buying new is easier.
  
  
• Rethinking lifestyle signals — do we all need a TV when phones and tablets already serve that role?

What Individuals Can Do Now

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We often wait for policy or business models to lead, but individuals can nudge this shift:

• Share or borrow rarely used items — from ladders to kitchen appliances.
  
  
• Opt for reuse schemes when dining out or ordering in.
  
  
• Repair first — phones, furniture, clothing — before replacing.
  
  
• Support circular businesses — upcycled furniture, rental platforms, refill stores.

A Call for the Next 5–10 Years

Singapore has already proven it can reduce per-capita waste. The challenge now is to stop the landfill load from climbing. By anticipating the structural trend of smaller households and higher duplication, we can design systems before the pressure peaks.

The next decade must be about scaling reuse, rental, and repair from side projects to everyday norms. Waste may be inevitable — but how much, and how fast, is still in our hands.

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