Food waste in Singapore

Singapore generated about 755,000 tonnes of food waste in 2023, roughly the weight of 50,000 double-decker buses, and only around 18% of it was recycled. The rest was incinerated. Food waste is consistently one of the largest waste streams in the country and one of the lowest-recycled. (Source: National Environment Agency 2023 waste statistics.)

That waste is not just food. It is the water, energy, land and labour that produced it, plus the carbon emitted growing, shipping, chilling and finally burning it. In a country that imports over 90% of its food, throwing dinner away is an expensive habit, for businesses and for the planet.

Why does so much good food get binned?

Because fresh food businesses must look full until closing time. A bakery cannot sell from an empty counter at 6pm, so it bakes more than it expects to sell. The surplus is not spoiled or unsafe. It is simply unsold, and tomorrow it cannot be sold as fresh.

What rescuing changes

• Perfectly good food gets eaten instead of incinerated.
• Businesses recover revenue on food they had already written off.
• You eat well for less, and every rescue avoids CO2e emissions.

Zero Waste Nation initiatives and the Singapore Green Plan 2030 both target big cuts in waste sent to Semakau landfill. Rescuing surplus food is one of the simplest things an individual can do to help, and it is delicious.

Ready to help? Join the waitlist as a rescuer, or partner with us if you run a food business.