Solid Ground

Burkard, Robert G.; ,

Solid Ground

by Robert G. Burkard, P.E., Principal Engineer; Hong Kong Office, Camp Dresser & McKee, Inc., Cambridge, MA,

Serial Information: Civil Engineering—ASCE, 2000, Vol. 70, Issue 9, Pg. 44-47

Document Type: Feature article

Abstract:

The densely populated island nation of Singapore has no choice but to be creative in devising strategies for disposing of solid waste. With its tiny land mass and the fact that its single remaining landfill was rapidly approaching capacity, Singapore faced an especially acute problem in siting additional landfills. A solution was found off the country's south coast in the Strait of Singapore. There an offshore disposal site between the small islands of Semakau and Sakeng will meet the country's needs well into the next century. Over the next three to five decades, these islands and surrounding shallow reef flats will be joined together through a massive marine transfer, disposal, and reclamation project that will ultimately create a single island: Pulau Semakau. Ash and waste that cannot be incinerated will account for the bulk of the material disposed of at the island, which will serve as a disposal site for 35 million m� of waste through 2030. The landfill has been designed for an ultimate capacity of approximately 60 million m��enough space to meet the country's needs through 2045.

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