Hacking and renovation debris: where it goes and who removes it

Hacking produces a lot of heavy, dusty waste in a short time, and the rules on where it goes are strict. Agree in the contract who removes it, how often, and where it goes.

Where debris can and can’t go

Never:

• down the refuse chute, the toilet or a floor trap; HDB charges the owner for any choke or damage;
• into the sewers, onto staircases or passageways, or into the pneumatic waste system;
• into household bins or recycling bins: NEA classes renovation waste as industrial waste, to be sent to a licensed recycling facility, not mixed with general waste or recyclables;
• into the town council’s free bulky-item service, which excludes renovation debris.

Instead:

• In HDB estates where the Town Council removes debris, pack it neatly at the Town Council’s designated site, and pay for the haulage and removal.
• Where there’s no Town Council service, HDB says the owner must make sure the contractor takes the debris to an NEA-approved site. In 2023 the Ministry of National Development said contractors are required to do this at the end of every workday.
• Anyone collecting waste as a business needs an NEA General Waste Collector’s Licence, and construction and renovation debris is one of the kinds of waste licensed collectors handle.

Skip tanks

A skip tank in a common area of an HDB estate needs the Town Council’s approval, and one in an HDB car park needs an HDB permit. In a condo, ask the management office where debris may be stored and when it can be moved.

The penalties

• Illegal dumping is an offence under the Environmental Public Health Act. NEA’s most recent statement gives a first offender a fine of up to S$50,000, up to 12 months in jail, or both.
• In 2023, MND said HDB penalises contractors who dump debris on common property with S$500 and 6 demerit points; 24 points in 24 months bars a contractor from new HDB jobs for 12 months.

Asbestos is different

If an older home has asbestos in its ceiling boards, partitions or roof, it must be removed by an MOM-approved asbestos-removal contractor, and the waste goes to a licensed toxic industrial waste collector, not with the rest of the debris. See licensed trades.

Clear out before the hacking starts

Furniture, old appliances and built-in carpentry that you’re not keeping are easier to take away before the works than to work around. Junk to Clear, the team behind SpaceToReno, clears homes before renovations, from single items to the whole flat.

SpaceToReno is run by the team behind Junk to Clear, which also handles renovations. Where a guide links to Junk to Clear or a sister site, it’s because that step calls for the service, and the sentence says so. Enquiries sent through the form go to the same team. How SpaceToReno works