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  Straits Times Forum 26 Sep 06
Recycling bin with rubbish an eyesore and a hazard
Letter from Yu Woon Chi (Ms)

The Straits Times 20 Sep 06
NEA steps up recycling drive in heartland
by Meng Yew Choong

A BIGGER effort is being made to boost lacklustre recycling figures here. To make it more convenient for individuals to recycle items such as clothing, paper, metal and glass, large recycling bins are being placed at void decks. And prizes such as digital cameras are being dangled at some residents' committees for meeting recycling targets, which residents can then use.

According to the National Environment Agency (NEA), the proportion of HDB households that recycle has gone up from 15 per cent in 2001 to 55 per cent last year.

However, Singapore lags behind developed countries such as Norway, where the recycling rate is more than 60 per cent, and is targeted to hit 75 per cent by 2010.

In Singapore, where the items are collected once every fortnight from door to door, some residents are not keen on the scheme because they do not want to wait for items to be removed.

By next year, they will have the option to get rid of them immediately, when the public waste collectors servicing nine sectors across Singapore will have in place one set of the refrigerator-size recycling bins for every five blocks of flats.

Although past attempts to provide people with recycling bins in areas such as Orchard Road have seen them being treated as dustbins instead, NEA is hopeful that this will not happen in the heartland.

Public waste collector Altvater Jakob, which conducted a trial of the bins at the Pasir Ris-Tampines sector last year together with NEA, said that not much non-recyclable rubbish had been dumped in the bins.

Buoyed by the results, NEA made the bins compulsory for waste collectors. Altvater is also trying out an initiative called the Recycling Exchange Initiative (Reit), which is offered to 154 RCs in the Pasir Ris-Tampines, Bedok and Tanglin-Bukit Merah areas.

Under the scheme, the RC can get a microwave for collecting 3,000kg of recyclable materials such as paper, metals, glass, plastics and even used clothing. A total of 12,000kg of recycled materials wins a digital camera. Altvater, which services the three sectors, offers small prizes to individuals - 4kg of recyclables gets them a can of sardines.

Waste collection companies are also inviting others who may pay for such items, including the karung guni men, to work with recycling contractors to coordinate collection so that more such items can be collected.

And as more people recycle, rubbish collection fees are likely to go down, say waste collectors, because selling such items earns them money.

But the ultimate aim is that people recycle because they are thinking of the environment, not cash rewards, said Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Mayor of Northeast District Zainul Abidin Rasheed, who officiated at the Reit opening ceremony in Bedok recently.

'I hope that one day, people will recycle not for the sake of sardines or rice,'' he said.

Straits Times Forum 26 Sep 06
Recycling bin with rubbish an eyesore and a hazard
Letter from Yu Woon Chi (Ms)

I REFER to the article, 'NEA steps up recycling drive in heartland' (ST, Sept 20).

I am a resident of Pasir Ris whose block of flats is next to the recycling bins. While I support the recycling project, I wish to provide feedback to the town council and the appointed recycling company so the project may be improved.

Currently, there is usually a big pile of items left outside the bins. This could either be due to the bins filling up quickly, leaving no room for items to be added, or because the bins are poorly designed so items cannot easily be thrown in. Now, even the door has been broken off and has lain around for days.

This means the bin area has become an eyesore, in the middle of a beautifully landscaped area.

More worrying, I wonder if this creates a health or fire hazard when papers and bottles are left out for days.

The problem has been raised with the town council and the recycling company before. I am afraid the situation has not improved.

The problem can be addressed easily by having the bins cleared more frequently. In future projects, the company may wish to provide bigger, better-designed bins.

I think the heartland recycling project is worth pursuing and expanding. The response on my estate, as shown by the huge collection at bins every day, is a clear sign that residents support such projects.

For continued success, I hope the company will try to address my concerns.
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