BACKGROUND

Ports and maritime operations generate a significant volume of operational waste, including items such as cotton gloves, cleaning rugs, and mooring ropes. These are essential for daily maintenance and safety operations, but their disposal poses a challenge due to contamination (with grease, soot, oils) and complex material composition (e.g., cotton-polyester blends, synthetic ropes). 

The cargo terminal in Singapore has taken major strides to decarbonize its operations, including electrifying port equipment and using low-carbon fuels, targeting Scope 1 and 2 emissions. However, Scope 3 emissions, particularly Category 5 – waste generated in operations, remain difficult to address. Current waste streams are linear and lack structured collection, cleaning, and recycling systems, especially for heavily soiled or composite waste. 

SIGNIFICANCE OF PROBLEM

Environmental Impact: Marine operational waste, if not properly treated, contributes to landfill use or marine pollution, negating other sustainability efforts.

Complex Waste Stream: Items like cotton gloves and mooring ropes are:

• Often heavily contaminated, making cleaning and recycling technically and economically challenging.
• Composite in nature, requiring disassembly or specialized recycling technologies.

Economic Viability Challenges:

• Inconsistent or insufficient supply of recyclable feedstock for high-tech recycling facilities.
• High cost of advanced sorting, cleaning, and processing technologies.

Health & Safety Implications: Disrupting existing maintenance regimes without proper alternatives can compromise worker safety and operational efficiency.

POTENTIAL MARKET SIZE

• Port of Singapore: World’s second-busiest port, handling over 37 million TEUs annually, employing thousands in logistics and marine services
• Southeast Asia Maritime Sector: Includes dozens of major ports facing similar waste challenges
• Global Port & Marine Services Market: Worth USD 90+ billion (2024 est.), with sustainability becoming a key differentiator in port competitiveness
• Industrial Cleaning Textiles Market: Estimated at USD 1.5 billion globally, with growing demand for circular solutions

Together, these indicate strong regional and global demand for scalable circular economy solutions in marine waste management.

EXISTING EFFORTS

• The port stakeholders have initiated closed-loop recycling for non-organic, non-contaminated items (e.g., chemical drums, cables, air-con units).
• Some pilot programmes exist to repurpose mooring ropes into bags or composite products.
• Interest from startups and research institutions in mechanical and chemical recycling innovations.