In Singapore, where trash becomes ash, plastics are still a problem

Plastic bags and bottles are given out during an event in Singapore, April 28, 2018. REUTERS/Feline Lim

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - As countries around Southeast Asia struggle to cope with growing piles of plastic and other waste on land and in their waters, Singapore is one country in the region that appears to have things figured out.

Singapore's streets are glistening clean, its parks and beaches mostly free from the trash that plagues neighbouring countries like Malaysia and Indonesia. Almost all of Singapore's non-recyclable waste is incinerated, with the ash and some solid waste shipped to a man-made island nearby that doubles as a nature reserve.