SINGAPORE - Some 600,000 TraceTogether tokens have been returned, said Minister for Communications and Information Josephine Teo on Monday, a day after the collection exercise ended.

But those who have not returned their government-issued tokens can recycle them at any electronics waste bin, she said on LinkedIn. The bins can be found at various locations around the country.

The collection of the pocket-sized devices that aided the authorities with contact tracing amid the Covid-19 outbreak took place at 108 collection points in community centres between Feb 13 and Sunday. Members of the public were urged to return the tokens, regardless of their condition.

Mrs Teo said the tokens collected will come in handy if digital contact tracing is needed in future. The tokens will be refurbished or recycled.

The token served as an alternative to the TraceTogether app and was particularly useful for seniors and children without smartphones.

The Straits Times previously reported that at least 2.6 million tokens had been collected by January 2021.

The Government deactivated the TraceTogether and SafeEntry contact-tracing systems on Feb 9 as Covid-19 measures were stepped down, and said residents could uninstall the apps from their phones and return their tokens.

ST has contacted the Smart Nation and Digital Government Office, which oversaw the distribution of the tokens, on which parts of the tokens will be recycled and how this will be done.

The office did not disclose how many TraceTogether tokens were distributed before the recall.

To check where e-waste bins are located, visit https://lnkd.in/gZcphEr9