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The only local e-waste company among the finalists this year. Here is what the recognition means, and what drives us to keep going.
We are proud to share that KGS has been named a finalist at the OCBC Emerging Enterprise Awards 2025, jointly organised by The Business Times and OCBC Bank. Now in its 18th year, the awards ceremony was held on 20 November 2025 at the JW Marriott Hotel Singapore South Beach, with nearly 600 applications across Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong. From that pool, 30 companies made it to the finalist stage.
KGS was among them. And as far as we know, the only local e-waste recycling company represented this year.
Nearly 600 applications. 30 finalists. KGS was the only local e-waste company in the room.
The Emerging Enterprise Awards recognise businesses under 10 years old that demonstrate consistent and sustainable growth, an enterprising mindset, and the ability to scale. This year introduced a dedicated Sustainability Award category, recognising companies that are capitalising on opportunities in the green economy and embedding sustainability into the core of their business.
Being shortlisted as a finalist is an affirmation that what KGS is building sits at the right intersection of commercial growth and genuine environmental impact. It is also recognition that e-waste recycling is no longer a niche concern. It is a core part of Singapore's sustainability agenda, and the enterprises driving it deserve a seat at the table.
Since founding KGS in 2016 with $10,000 in savings and a 600 sq ft unit in Ang Mo Kio, the team has built Singapore's most integrated e-waste recycling facility. As covered in our Vulcan Post feature, what started as a door-to-door collection service with one van has grown into a 32,000 sq ft facility in Tuas with three distinct recycling capabilities under one roof:
Automated solar panel recycling: Singapore's first automated facility of its kind, built as the island's solar infrastructure ages and panels approach end of life
Advanced battery recycling: one of only a handful of dedicated battery recycling facilities in Singapore, with capacity for both lithium-ion and lead-acid batteries
Secure, end-to-end e-waste management: certified data destruction and responsible recycling for businesses and residents alike, with the entire process handled in-house
Together, these capabilities position KGS as one of the most comprehensive e-waste recyclers in the region, and one of the few genuinely equipped to handle the full spectrum of end-of-life electronics responsibly.
From one van in Ang Mo Kio to Singapore's first integrated e-waste, battery, and solar panel recycling facility. The mission has always been the same.
Beyond the facility, what also drew attention was TakeBag, our free e-waste recycling programme for Singapore residents. Residents order a free polymailer bag, fill it at home with old electronics, and drop it off at any of approximately 1,100 PICK! locker locations across Singapore, most within 5 minutes of any HDB home.
TakeBag is listed on the NEA's official e-waste recycling page and has been featured on Channel 8. It has been distributed door-to-door across estates including Zhenghua and Clementi in partnership with grassroots organisations, and has collected over 4,836 kg of e-waste in 2025 to date.
The goal has always been to make responsible e-waste recycling as easy for a resident in an HDB flat as it is for a multinational corporation. TakeBag is how we get there.
Being named a finalist at the Emerging Enterprise Awards is a milestone we are genuinely proud of. Not because awards define what we do, but because it reflects something important: that the work of building responsible, accessible e-waste infrastructure in Singapore is being taken seriously.
As Singapore accelerates its sustainability agenda, the role of enterprises like KGS becomes more critical. Every tonne of e-waste properly processed is a tonne kept out of landfill. Every battery safely recycled reduces the risk of toxic contamination and fire. Every solar panel at end of life that goes through a proper channel extends the value of Singapore's renewable energy investment rather than negating it.
These are not abstract outcomes. They are the reason we show up every day.
Being recognised among emerging enterprises affirms the importance of building technology that keeps waste out of landfills and drives a circular future for Singapore.
We are grateful to OCBC and The Business Times for the recognition, and to every partner, client, community volunteer, and resident who has supported KGS along the way.
KGS will be doing even better in 2026. More community partnerships. More recycling capabilities. More ways to make responsible e-waste disposal the default, not the exception, for every Singapore household and organisation.
Our mission has always been to be the answer to the e-waste question. Every device responsibly recycled, every battery safely processed, every solar panel given a proper end of life brings Singapore one step closer to a sustainable tomorrow. That is what drives us, and that is what we will keep building toward.
If you are a resident, order your free TakeBag at takebag.kgs.com.sg. If you are a business looking for certified e-waste recycling, reach out to us at ask@kgs.com.sg.
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