An effective waste management system is, and has always been, essential infrastructure, particularly given the potential for waste to adversely impact the surrounding environment. In recent decades, however, there has been growing awareness of the scale, breadth and immediacy of those adverse impacts, and of the unsustainability of the enormous (and increasing) amount of waste society generates. Governments around the world have mobilised and there has been a widespread shift towards policies promoting circular economies, waste minimisation and maximised resource efficiency. Singapore is a case in point; despite having a traditionally high waste output and a waste management system dependent on waste incineration as the primary means of disposal, Singapore has committed to a zero waste future. This article presents a review of domestic waste management policy and law in Singapore. Several gaps in the legal framework are identified and considered against the broader context, leading to the conclusion that there is a material environmental vulnerability in the legal framework that should be redressed in order to entrench environmental protections and to align the law with Singapore's policy ambitions. Notwithstanding this deficiency, it is hard not to be optimistic about the future of domestic waste management in Singapore, as the government has made an ambitious policy commitment and appears to be pursuing it with vigour.

有效的废物管理系统一直是必不可少的基础设施，特别是考虑到废物可能对周围环境产生不利影响。然而，近几十年来，人们越来越意识到这些不利影响的规模、广度和紧迫性，以及社会产生的大量（且不断增加）垃圾的不可持续性。世界各国政府已经动员起来，并且普遍转向促进循环经济、废物最小化和资源效率最大化的政策。新加坡就是一个很好的例子。尽管传统上废物产量很高，而且废物管理系统依赖于废物焚烧作为主要处置手段，但新加坡已致力于实现零废物的未来。本文回顾了新加坡的家庭废物管理政策和法律。在更广泛的背景下确定并考虑了法律框架中的几个差距，得出的结论是法律框架中存在重大环境脆弱性，应予以纠正，以巩固环境保护并使法律与新加坡的政策目标保持一致。尽管存在这一缺陷，但很难不对新加坡家庭废物管理的未来感到乐观，因为政府已经做出了雄心勃勃的政策承诺，并且似乎正在大力推行。得出的结论是，法律框架中存在重大的环境脆弱性，应予以纠正，以巩固环境保护并使法律与新加坡的政策目标保持一致。尽管存在这一缺陷，但很难不对新加坡家庭废物管理的未来感到乐观，因为政府已经做出了雄心勃勃的政策承诺，并且似乎正在大力推行。得出的结论是，法律框架中存在重大的环境脆弱性，应予以纠正，以巩固环境保护并使法律与新加坡的政策目标保持一致。尽管存在这一缺陷，但很难不对新加坡家庭废物管理的未来感到乐观，因为政府已经做出了雄心勃勃的政策承诺，并且似乎正在大力推行。