Procedure for Collection of Materials in Recycling Bins by Public Waste Collectors at Point of Collection

Mr Leon Perera asked the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources (a) whether it is standard procedure for recycling bins to be emptied into a single receptacle by public waste collectors at the point of collection; and (b) if so, what is the objective of asking residents to separate the waste into different bins for different recyclable items.

Under the National Recycling Programme (NRP), public waste collectors are required to provide a blue co-mingled recycling bin at every HDB block and landed premises. This co-mingled system makes it convenient for residents to recycle as they do not need to spend additional time and effort to segregate the different types of recyclables (that is, paper, metal, plastic and glass) nor set aside additional space in their homes to store the different types of recyclables.

NEA requires the public waste collectors to use dedicated trucks to collect recyclables. These trucks are labelled accordingly as vehicles for the collection of recyclables. NEA monitors these trucks to ensure recyclables are collected and sent to the Materials Recovery Facility. NEA will impose a financial penalty on any public waste collector found to have collected waste and recyclables using the same truck. At the Material Recovery Facilities, the recyclables are sorted, baled and sent to local recyclers or exported for recycling.

Besides the NRP implemented for households, we also encourage private premises, such as shopping malls and hotels, to participate in the recycling effort by providing recycling bins on their premises. For these premises, the infrastructure and collection methods are decided and provided by the premises owner and these can vary across premises. Some premises may provide segregated recycling bins, as patrons tend to dispose of singular items, such as aluminium cans or plastic bottles.