SINGAPORE - Yishun residents with unwanted clothes and paper can deposit them at a new recycling hub in the town and earn rewards.

On Saturday, Nee Soon GRC MP Louis Ng launched the facility at Block 293 Yishun Ring Road by donating a bag of textiles. He was joined by residents who participated in the three-hour recycling drive to mark the hub's launch, where Nee Soon Town Council collected 171.25kg of textiles and 50kg of paper.

The hub's textile recycling bin is provided by Cloop, a clothing-swop movement. Soft toys, hats, pillows, shoes, bags, belts and household linens can also be deposited in the bin, in any condition.

Residents who drop off their used items can earn points on the susGain app, which can be exchanged for cashback rewards at online and physical stores.

The used items are picked up by recycler Life Line Clothing, which turns them into new products.

Items that are torn, damaged and not fit for reuse are stripped mechanically to fibres and turned into goods such as rugs and gloves, while those that cannot be reused will be tapped as material reinforcements in some types of concrete.

Shoes could be turned into materials used in playground surfaces.

As for paper recycling, residents can also earn points which are redeemable for cash on the SGRecycle app.

More than 100 paper recycling machines have been rolled out by recycling firm SGPaperRecycle across the island, including a few in various locations in Yishun such as Housing Board void decks since last September.

"A large part of this initiative is a commitment to transform our neighbourhoods into better, sustainable living environments for all residents," said Mr Ng, adding that the town council is working to put up recycling bins in other parts of the town.

"Tackling climate change requires all of us to do our part. By creating a recycling hub, we hope to make it easy and convenient for residents to recycle."