Singapore's ambitions to be a Smart Nation have led to various technologies being pushed out into our communities.

One such example is the paper recycling machines that have been deployed in housing estates.

They offer a cash-for-recycling incentive, in which six cents are deposited into a resident's digital wallet for every 1kg of paper or cardboard recycled.

Regrettably, however, the application of technology stops at the collection. The large frame of the machine conceals no more than an empty shell in which no further sorting or processing of the materials is done.

I was disheartened to learn that the recycling process remains very tedious and manual, with labourers at the central collection points still having to individually sort the materials into their different categories.

Is the use of technology apt in this case? I am not even certain if the carbon offset from the recycling of the paper is greater than the energy required to continuously power this machine.

The maintenance of these new paper recycling machines also leaves much to be desired. This machine (above) in my estate has been left in a sorry state - with its power turned off, preventing the cash feature from functioning, and paper remaining stuffed in the feeding slot which has a broken door - for a number of days.

Perhaps conventional recycling bins should be used for each individual paper category, such as paper, newspaper and cardboard.

This might not only reduce the overall workload, but also engage residents in playing a more active role in the recycling process, which helps to educate them and cultivate good recycling habits.

While the effectiveness of the cash-for-recycling initiative remains to be seen, I have observed that the conventional blue recycling bin in my estate is constantly overfilled. The proportion of residents willing to do their part for the environment remains significant.

We have to consider when technology stops being a benefit and becomes a hindrance instead.

Soon Kai Hong