Check It Out Before You Chuck It Out
Despite governmental efforts to promote recycling, the blue bins in Jurong are filthy and misused.
By Cassandra Chew Yan Ling
A look inside a blue bin located at a HDB Block 492 in Jurong West Street 41 – a lychee peel, a soiled plastic cup and a piece of tissue paper amongst several other non-recyclables. Photo Credit: Cassandra Chew Yan Ling
Soiled food packaging left on the lid of a blue bin at Jurong West Street 41 Block 492. Photo Credit: Cassandra Chew Yan Ling
A look inside a blue bin located at a HDB Block 492 in Jurong West Street 41 – a lychee peel, a soiled plastic cup and a piece of tissue paper amongst several other non-recyclables. Photo Credit: Cassandra Chew Yan Ling
The blue bins have been introduced since 2001. However, residents of Jurong still do not use them responsibly and discard non-recyclables in the bins.
The misuse of blue bins has caused the domestic recycling rate to remain
stagnant at merely 21 per cent, as almost 40 per cent of recyclable materials end
up un-recycled due to contamination.
Mr Er Zheng Da Zhane, a resident of Jurong West, said that he saw the blue
bins in Jurong being misused “all the time”. He admitted that “everyone is guilty of this” in one way or another and highlighted that “no one really cares”.
A survey conducted by the National Environment Agency (NEA) and the Ministry
of the Environment and Water Resources (MEWR) revealed that around 60 per cent of Singaporeans recycle regularly. However, 67 per cent have difficulty
identifying non-recyclables, with some even having the misconception that soiled
food packaging can be recycled. According to Ms Ong Wei Jing, Senior Engineer of Recycling Programmes at NEA, 40 per cent have difficulty differentiating recyclables from reusables, such as shoes and bags, that could be donated instead.
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Singaporeans’ usage of blue bins
“used to be somewhat abused but we don’t believe it was deliberate,”
said Mr Ng Kuan Keng Kenneth, the Head of PAssion WaVe @ Jurong Lake Gardens.
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At PAssion WaVe, they have carried out several events as part of their Project Blue Wave Environmental Conservation Programme since 2014. Apart from organising mass clean-ups, they also carry out ambassador workshops for free. Participants are equipped with the necessary leadership and facilitation skills, before leading a clean-up of their own. Until now, it has been rolled out to 600 individuals.
Ms Ong identifies that the reasons for the misuse of blue bins are mainly “the lack of awareness” or that Singaporeans are way “too busy and too tired” with their hectic lifestyles to give much “thought or attention”.
Illustration: Cassandra Chew Yan Ling
As of 2019, the National Recycling Programme (NRP) ensures that there is one blue bin per Housing and Development Board (HDB) block. In 2017, they implemented dual chutes for refuse and recyclables at all new non-landed housing developments.
As part of their Recycle Right Movement, NEA also provides collaterals, educational materials for households, schools and online guide books that teach the different premises how to set up recycling programmes.
As a resident of Jurong, Mr Er feels that the instructions for recycling are “just not clear”, and he “does not see anything” besides the “posters and flyers from the community centres”. He thinks that the government should give incentives to motivate Singaporeans to recycle.
Even with such efforts in place to encourage Singaporeans to recycle responsibly, the lack of awareness still hinders our progress as a clean and green city.
“At our rate (of waste disposal), we will need a new landfill every 35 to 40 years,” said Ms Ong. Semakau will be filled by
2035.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
CASSANDRA CHEW YAN LING
If you’re unsure of who Cassandra is, look around for the one that is busy perfecting her Instagram stories instead of eating the food right in front of her.