Frequency of Recyclable Collection in Residential Estates' Blue Bins

Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song asked the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) how does the Ministry determine the frequency of recyclable collection in blue bins for residential estates; (b) how many reports does the Ministry receive every month of overflowing bins; and (c) whether the Ministry will increase collections to five times weekly to maintain hygiene while also encouraging recycling.

The National Environment Agency (NEA) regularly reviews and revises the collection frequency for recyclables based on the ground situation. In the 2010s, the Public Waste Collectors (PWCs) were required to provide 660-litre recycling bins and collect the recyclables once a week. This has since been increased to three times a week. PWCs have also introduced larger capacity 2,200-litre side-loading recycling bins in certain areas where large amounts of recyclables are generated and collection for such bins is done once a week.

NEA receives a small number of reports per month of overflowing recycling bins. These are typically due to the presence of bulky items, such as cardboard boxes that were not flattened, as well as higher amounts of recyclables during festive seasons when residents do spring cleaning. NEA has worked with our PWCs to increase the collection frequency during festive periods and when necessary.

Everyone can do our part to recycle right. We encourage members of the public to flatten cardboard boxes before depositing them into recycling bins to avoid taking up unnecessary space. The recyclables should also be cleaned before depositing them in recycling bins. This will help to maintain cleanliness in residential estates and facilitate the collection of clean recyclables.