Forum: Improve recycling by moving beyond symbolic bins
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I refer to “ Singapore’s dirty little sense of entitlement
When non-recyclables or food-stained items are thrown into these bins, the entire batch of recyclables is contaminated and eventually incinerated. In such cases, the blue bins merely add to the volume of rubbish collected, rather than fulfilling their intended role.
This is a hard reality we must face. The problem lies not in the bins themselves, but in how we use them. We need to own our mess, instead of treating recycling as someone else’s job.
We should look at ways to make recycling easier and more effective. One possible solution is a door-to-door collection system, similar to how old newspapers used to be collected fortnightly. If residents could set aside clean paper, plastic, metal and glass items for scheduled collection, contamination rates would likely be much lower.
This approach could be coupled with stronger public education and clearer labelling, so that households recycle correctly. With such measures, recycling becomes not just convenient, but also meaningful.
If we are serious about reducing waste and building a culture of sustainability, we must move beyond symbolic bins and put in place systems that actually work.
Gabriel Chia
