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Are you recycling? Chances are, you’re doing it wrong. What do I mean? All you have to do is to throw your unwanted stuff into those big, blue boxes at the bottom of your flat or outside your gate, and you’ve recycled, right? Well, not quite.
Depending on what you actually throw into those bins, you might actually be contaminating others recyclables and creating even more thrash in the process.
But fret not, here’s the truth behind recycling in Singapore, and how to do it properly.
Does Singapore care about recycling?
According to the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources (MEWR), the nation’s recycling rates stood at 60 per cent in 2018. That seems like not that bad a figure, but in reality, only about half of the total cardboard and paper waste were recycled. For plastics, it’s even worse – only 4 per cent were recycled.
Clearly we can do better.
Why is recycling important?
Duh, it’s good for the environment. Yes, but how? You see, each time you recycle, you are putting back into the system renewed material, and reducing the need for virgin material to be harvested or produced. This, in turn, preserves precious resources like forests, ores, crude oil and water, reduces industrial runoff and pollutants, saves energy and cuts down greenhouse gas emission.
Particularly for land-scarce Singapore, recycling also helps to reduce the amount of material entering our one and only landfill – which at the current rate is predicted to run out of space by 2035. And considering we actually engineered our current landfill out of nothing (it’s a reclaimed island out at sea), this is clearly not sustainable.
Singapore Recycling Bins
Yes, Singapore’s waste disposal system is widely lauded, with stringent controls and environmental standards so high that it has inspired breathless videos like this one.
In case you didn’t watch the video, the general waste that we dispose of is collected and sent to an incineration plant, which burns the trash to produce energy. The fumes from the burning trash is scrubbed to remove carbon, toxic gases and other pollutants, turning into air that is even cleaner than the plant’s surroundings.
As clean as Singapore’s system may be, there is still detritus to deal with. In fact, up to 15 per cent of material can be leftover from the incineration process, which along with the ash, has to be sent to the landfill.
Yep, that same landfill that we mentioned earlier, the one that’s running out in 2035. So clearly we can’t burn our way out of our trash troubles.
What items can be recycled in Singapore?
It seems that Singaporeans still have trouble recognising what can be recycled, and what cannot, often introducing contaminants into recycling bins, causing the entire batch of recyclables to be discarded instead.
The MEWR said that as much as 40 per cent of materials deposited into the recycling bins are not suitable for recycling, and enhanced education efforts have so far proved to be less than effective.
Recycling Bins Singapore: 2 Separate Bins
So what is the key to start recycling correctly? Start separating your rubbish. Use the following guide to help you along:
1. Reycling Bin for Organic Waste, Contaminated Packaging
Examples: Leftover food and liquid waste, kitchen scraps, soiled diapers, stained tissues, styrofoam, paper food wrappings, oxo and biodegradabe bags etc
What you should do: Discard in the rubbish chute or bin.
2. Recycling Bin for Non-Organic Waste
Examples: Papers, magazines, envelopes, etc/ Disposable plastic products, plastic bottles and containers, Tetrepaks, plastic bags etc (except Types 3 and 6) / Glass (except ceramics and porcelain, lightbulbs and
fluorescent tubes) / Metals (except batteries, electronics)
What you should do: Deposit in recycling bin to send for recycling. Remember to empty and rinse empty bottles and containers before recycling to prevent contamination.
How to recycle Type 3 and 6 Plastics
Examples: Plastics of Type 3 or 6
What you should do: Discard or reuse
How to recycle Ceramics, Porcelain
Examples: Ceramics and porcelain
What you should do: Discard, donate, reuse or upcycle.
How to recycle Battery
Examples: Batteries
What you should do: Household batteries sold in Singapore are safe to dispose of in general waste. For all other types (power banks, mobile phone batteries etc,) dispose only at designated collection points.
How to recycle electronics
Examples: Electronics and e-waste
What you should do: Dispose only at designated collection points. Consider donating items in good working condition.
How to recycle clothes, and toys
Examples: Toys, shoes, bags, clothes and spectacles
What you should do: Discard, donate, reuse, or upcycle.
How to recycle curtains, beddings
Examples: Curtains, mattresses, pillows and bedsheets
What you should do: Discard, donate (if still in good condition) or upcycle.
How to recycle furniture
Examples: Bulky items and furniture, etc
What you should do: Contact your Town Council, building manager or waste disposal service for assistance.
4 Materials You Can Recycle
As you can see from the table above, there are really only four main candidates for recycling in Singapore. They are paper, plastics, glass and metals. So to get started recycling in the right way, focus your efforts on household waste made up of these four materials.
So long as it’s clean and not contaminated by liquid or food waste, most paper is recyclable, especially those cardboard rolls that come with your kitchen rolls. The only exception here is waxed paper, which should be discarded.
Recycling Plastics in Singapore
When it comes to plastics, it depends on the type, which you can check by looking for the triangle symbol with three arrows and a number in the middle.
Most plastics can be recycled, and in Singapore, the most commonly recycled ones are Types 1 and 2.
However, Types 3 and 6 cannot be accepted into the recycling stream here (due to technical constraints). If you find yourself with Types 3 or 6 plastic, try to reuse or repurpose them as much as possible, before discarding them.
Recycling Glass in Singapore
For glass, recycling is straightforward – just be sure to rinse out any leftover liquids in your bottles and containers before packing them carefully in a paper or plastic bag.
For safety, broken glass should not be recycled and should be discarded in general waste (after being wrapped up securely in paper). Note, though, that ceramics and porcelain are not recyclable.
Recycling Metals in Singapore
Same goes for metal cups, cutlery, pots and pans, etc. Just clean them, then bundle them up properly for easier sorting at the recycling centre. Don’t forget to recycle your drink cans and canned food cans too!
These things cannot be recycled...
For the rest of the other common household stuff we use and go through, consider donating, reusing or upcycling them, instead of straight up throwing them into the general waste stream.
Old toys, clothes, books, spectacles and other items can be donated to benefit others who need them. There are many channels for you to donate your unwanted items, such as:
- Salvation Army, probably the most well-known thrift store in Singapore
- Pass It On, an online network that links up donors looking to pass on their items to those who need them
- Junk to Clear, which helps you declutter and donate your unwanted items in one fell swoop
- New2U Thrift Shop, which gladly accepts pre-loved books, clothes, toys, shoes, crockery and utensils
- H&M Garment collection, and others of your favourite fast fashion labels with a collection programme
Recycling electronics in Singapore
Pay special attention to electronics and other e-waste (such as cables, cartridges, tablets, laptops, mobile phones, etc) along with lightbulbs and fluorescent tubes. Many of these contain dangerous chemicals or heavy metals that will severely degrade the environment if exposed. Our beloved electronic devices also contain rare earth and other precious metals (like gold), the mining of which is particularly destructive to our planet.
Be sure to deposit these items in designated collection points to make sure they get to professionals who will recover the rare earth and precious metals, while properly disposing of the toxic substances. For electronics, look out for specially designated ReCYCLE postboxes at selected Singtel shops or mailboxes to deposit your items. You can also collect a special ReCYCLE envelope to post your unwanted electronics for recycling at your own leisure.
Meanwhile, for light bulbs and fluorescent tubes, approach your nearest lighting fixtures retailer to ask if they have an acceptance or exchange policy. Or you may also search for a residential drop-off point at Global Lamp Recyclers, an accredited lamp collection and recycling vendor in Singapore.
This article was originally published on Her World Singapore.