SINGAPORE – More than 50 residents streamed in for Tiong Bahru’s first community recycling drive on April 11, including one youngster who turned up in a mini push car with plastic bottles in his “boot”.
Three-year-old Ethan Bei was the youngest resident to deposit recyclables at the event at Tiong Bahru Community Centre. Called Love Tiong Bahru, this initiative was started by residents of Tiong Bahru’s Seng Poh estate, who were dismayed by the unsightliness of blue recycling bins overflowing with rubbish in the area.
Under the initiative, from April 11 to June 20, the blue bins are being removed, and residents can deposit their recyclables during community drives held twice a month at the community centre.
Volunteers will man the collection drives, held on certain Saturdays from 10am to 12.30pm, and direct residents to categorise their recyclables under paper, plastic, metal or glass.
Tiong Bahru residents turned up with bags and boxes of recyclables on April 11.
At the end of the drive, 125kg of cartons and newspapers, 40kg of glass, and 35kg of plastic were collected, among other recyclables.
Ethan’s mother, Mrs Jaclyn Bei, who is in her 40s, said she and her husband were eager to teach their son about the importance of recycling.
“Previously, we took him to the blue bins near our home to recycle items. But when I saw the overflowing bins, I felt disheartened and puzzled that some people can just dump their rubbish there,” said Mrs Bei, a homemaker.
The contamination rate for blue recycling bins has remained at about 40 per cent since 2017.
