History of Semakau Landfill
In 1999, when the last remaining landfill on Singapore’s mainland was exhausted, the Semakau Landfill was created by enclosing Pulau Semakau and a small adjacent island (Pulau Sakeng) with a rock bund. All our waste now ends up at Semakau, i.e., ash from the incineration plants and all non-incinerable waste.

During the construction of the landfill, effort was made to protect the marine ecosystem, especially mangroves and corals. 13 hectares of mangrove were replanted to replace those removed during construction of the bund. Wildlife continues to thrive on Pulau Semakau, and the air and water quality remains good.

Semakau opened!
On 16 Jul 05, Pulau Semakau was opened for nature-related recreational activities. Members of the public can now visit the island for birdwatching, sports fishing and intertidal walks.

Marine life of Pulau Semakau
The original Pulau Semakau which was not affected by the landfill construction has an enormous intertidal area which is rich in amazing wildlife. The natural mangroves there shelter a wide variety of plants and animals, many no longer seen on the mainland or other islands. There is a vast seagrass lagoon, possibly the largest in Singapore. The coral reefs that line the edge of the island also thrive with marine life. Here's some posters of Semakau's intertidal shores and more about a survey of Semakau's mangroves in 2005.

Getting there
Currently, you can only visit Pulau Semakau by joining activities conducted by these designated interest groups. More details on this NEA PDF file.

• Sport Fishing with the Sport Fishing Association of Singapore
  
• Birdwatching with fhe Nature Society (Singapore)
  
• Intertidal walks with the Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research
• Stargazing with The Astronomical Society of Singapore
• NEA's Educational/Recreational Outing programme. The educational visit consists of a briefing on the solid waste management in Singapore and design and operation of Semakau followed by a tour of the landfill. After the educational programme, visitors have the option of taking part in relaxing recreational activities, including fishing, cycling, barbecuing and camping. Semakau Landfill Recreational National Environment Agency Main Line: 6862 0480

Other activities

• TeamSeagrass also conduct regular surveys of seagrasses on Pulau Semakau. Anyone may join TeamSeagrass as a volunteer. For details and contact see the TeamSeagrass blog

More tips for visitors
More about preparing for a trip to the shores
More FAQs about visiting the shores
How to take photos on the shores.

Links

Background on Semakau and Sakeng

• Semakau Survey done in Jun 05: why we did it, what we found
  
• Pulau Semakau on the Coral Reefs of Singapore website: with map and background history.
  
• About the waste management process from incineration to landfill on the Radio Singapore International website, 10 Nov 04
  
• About mangrove replanting efforts on Semakau in The Garden City is getting greener from the Straits Times 6 Nov 03 on the ecologyasia website.
  
• More details about the entire chain of waste management in Environmental Technology in Singapore: A Country Study on the APEC-ISTI website.
  
• Photos of the village at Pulau Sakeng before the reclamation by huaiwei on the Skyscraper forum
  
• Names of some Singapore Islands, compilation, 05 Sep 2005 about the meanings behind the names of some of the islands of Singapore, on Siva's habitatnews blog.
  

Media articles and blog entries about Semakau

• Underwater nursery Singapore's first coral nursery welcomed new inhabitants yesterday. Tania Tan, Straits Times 16 Apr 08
• Singapore unveils first coral nursery to conserve underwater habitat
  Channel NewsAsia 30 Jul 07
• The island paradise built on a garbage dump
  By Francesca de Châtel CNN 26 Jul 07
• Garbage of Eden Straits Times 27 May 07; reprint of Island of trash or the 'Garbage of Eden'? by Eric Bland New Scientist 12 Apr 07
• Pulau Semakau: Island paradise . . . and landfill by Matthew Phan Business Times 11 May 07
• Trekking on 'Trash' photos and story done during the Semakau survey by Teh Jen Lee, photos by Mohd Ishak The New Paper, 16 Jul 05
  

• First intertidal and landfill public visit to Pulau Semakau on the Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research news blog 22 Nov 05
  
• Trash for Tourism in Singapore by Keith Lin The Star, Malaysia, 06 Sep 05
  on the ecologyasia website
  
• Innovative Singapore turns Semakau island into eco-tourism attraction
  Channel NewsAsia 29 Aug 05
  
• Launch welcomes back 40 former resident families from Pulau Sakeng NEA News Release No: 30/2005 Date of issue: 16 July 2005
  
• The heron rises from the ashes about the terrestrial and shore wildlife of Pulau Semakau
  by Chua Mui Hoong The Straits Times, 7 Apr 05
  
• Semakau Landfill may be opened up for selected recreational activities NEA newsroom, 8 Mar 05
  
• Speech by Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, Minister for the Environment and Water Resources, at the Committee of Supply Debate 2005 8 Mar 2005 Discussing Environmental Sustainability, Community Participation in the Environment, Enjoying Our Environment and Water Resources (including reservoirs and Pulau Semakau), Raising awareness and consultation on environmental issues, Improving Energy Efficiency and Carbon Intensity, Green Vehicles. Singapore Government Media Release, 8 Mar 05
  
• Pulau Semakau rich in biodiversity
  Fancy a nature trek on Pulau Landfill?
  by Alexis Hooi The Straits Times, March 9, 2005
  From dump to play haven: Environment minister announces new lease of life for Semakau landfill
  by Sheralyn Tay Today, 9 Mar 05
  Pulau Semakau
  by Hasnita A. Majid Channel NewsAsia , 8 Mar 05
  
• Feathers ruffled but Singapore’s eco-dump wins fans by Sonia Kolesnikov-Jessop The South China Morning Post 3 Oct 05 see also comments by Siva on his habitatnews blog
  
• Innovative Singapore turns Semakau island into eco-tourism attraction Channel NewsAsia 29 Aug 05
  
• Opening of Semakau Bio-treasure Isle
  By Sarah Ng The Straits Times 18 Jul 05
  
• Semakau landfill to last 15 more years as recycling reduces waste
  By Hasnita A Majid Channel NewsAsia, 16 Jul 05
  
• Speech by Dr Yaacob Ibrahim at the official opening of Semakau Landfill
  MEWR Press Release, 16 Jul 05
  

• Siva's habitatnews with links to news articles (PDF on the event)
  
• Raffles Museum news blog
  
• Wildfilms formal and fun reports
  
• Blue Water Volunteers Reefwalk blog
  

Links to other data about Semakau's wildlife

• Semakau survey findings on Semakau's wildlife
• Joseph Lai's plants of Semakau on his eart-h.com website: a list of plants with links to fabulous photos
  
• Nudibranchs of Singapore website by Uma Sachidhanandam, National University of Singapore has a list of nudibranchs found on Semakau
  
• A Guide To Singapore Polychaetes By Lim Yun Ping National University of Singapore, has a list of the Polychaete families found on Semakau.
  

• $1.3b dumping ground at Pulau Semakau The Straits Times, September 25, 1993 on the Recycling Point Dot Com website
  
• Another $1b landfill if rubbish keeps piling up, says Mah. Amount of refuse grew four-fold in last 20 years By Dominic Nathan The Straits Times 23rd Sep 1993
  
• Plan to use Semakau for offshore refuse dumping Business Times, March 23, 1988 on the Recycling Point Dot Com website
  

• Visit to Semakau Landfill by the School of Engineering, Ngee Ann Polytechnic with lots of photos of landfill operations
  
• Semakau Landfill visit 'the most scenic place in Singapore' on XPDude's blog
  
• Old photo of Semakau in 1972 before it became a landfill on timemaker's blog

Field guides and references

• Tan, Leo W. H. & Ng, Peter K. L., 1988. A Guide to Seashore Life. The Singapore Science Centre, Singapore. 160 pp.
• Ng, Peter K. L. & N. Sivasothi, 1999. A Guide to the Mangroves of Singapore II (Animal Diversity). Singapore Science Centre. 168 pp.
• Lim, Kelvin K. P. & Jeffrey K. Y. Low, 1998. A Guide to the Common Marine Fishes of Singapore. Singapore Science Centre. 163 pp.
• Tan, Ria and Loh Tse-Lynn, 2004. Guidesheet to the Amazing Marine Life of the Southern Shores of Singapore.
  
• Tan, Ria and Alan Yeo, 2003. Chek Jawa Guidebook. Simply Green. 219