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SINGAPORE: Local food manufacturer Whye Kee Foodstuff was fined S $ 17,700 for repeatedly illegally dumping waste at levels exceeding permitted limits into public sewers, PUB said on Thursday (October 8).
The company was previously convicted of similar crimes in May 2019 and was fined S $ 14,400.
The latest convictions are for four counts of discharging effluent containing chemicals that exceeded the allowed limits last year on October 11. Six other charges were taken into consideration during sentencing.
PUB discovered the violations during site inspections at the company’s premises on Tai Seng Avenue between September and October 2019.
During one of the inspections, PUB said the commercial effluent sample was found to be more than 120 times greater than the allowable limits for biochemical oxygen demand, total suspended solids and chemical oxygen demand.
The company also exceeded the permitted limit for oil and grease (not hydrocarbons) more than eight times.
These substances came from food waste generated during the company’s manufacturing operations. Controls by the CNA showed that the company produces rice flour food products, including chee cheong fun, chwee kueh and png kueh.
“Excessive levels of these substances in wastewater can disrupt the water treatment processes used at PUB’s water reclamation plants and also disrupt the production of NEW water,” the national water agency said.
Investigations revealed that Whye Kee Foodstuff had failed to implement effective measures to prevent and eliminate excessive food waste generated during manufacturing processes entering the sewers.
The company also did not pretreat the commercial effluent to comply with the discharge limits as required by the Sewerage and Drainage Regulations (commercial effluent).
PUB said it has since revoked approval for the company to discharge commercial effluent into the sewers starting May 4 this year. The company must also hire the appropriate waste collectors to collect its effluents for off-site disposal.
“Used water is a precious resource in Singapore and the integrity of our public sewer system is crucial to PUB’s water reclamation process. Businesses and industries must take responsibility for ensuring that their commercial effluents meet PUB discharge standards to keep Singapore’s used water resources and sewerage network safe, ”said Maurice Neo, Network Director of water recovery from PUB.
Neo added that PUB will not hesitate to prosecute companies that ignore these regulations. Repeat offenders will be placed under surveillance and face more frequent inspections.
