We all know about recycling but are we doing it right or how many of us are recycling at all. It's important that we all do our bit, so to make it easier for you, we have created a Recycling Singapore Index so you know what goes where!
In accordance to City of Good Singapore:
Singapore consumes yearly use:
820 million plastic bags from supermarkets
473 million plastic disposable items like containers
467 million PET bottles
but only 4% of plastic waste is recycled.
In Singapore, as we filter all our water systems, most plastic waste found in the waterways do not make it to the ocean. Instead, it gets incinerated at waste-to-energy plants and the resulting ash is deposited at Semakau Landfill, which is projected to run out of space by 2035.
Semakau Island is located eight kilometres off Singapore's Southern Coast, this little island is home to Singapore's only landfill—a 3.5 square-kilometre space that holds all the trash of Singapore's population.
Your Guide to Recycling in Singapore
BAGS & BELTS
BATTERIES
BEAUTY EMPTIES
L'OCCITANE at ION Orchard, Vivocity, Paragon, Plaza Singapore, Northpoint City and Raffles City boutiques.
Porcelainskin
BEDSHEETS & TOWELS
Greensquare
BLISTER PACKAGING FOR CONTACT LENSES
Capitol Optical Stores recycles the blister packs your contact lenses are sealed in. Email them to receive a bag for recycling or drop off your blister packs at their stores.
Two of a Kind
Email Two of a Kind for a return bag that comes with free postage or drop off your blister packaging at 39B North Canal Road
BRAS
WACOAL
Wacoal accepts drop off of old bras from any brands into their Wacoal bra recycling bins.
CDC’S AND DVD’S
CHOPSTICS USED IN RESTAURANTS
CHOPSTICK+ is a simple way to reduce the cost of disposable chopsticks while being sustainable. Restaurants can request an unlimited number of chopsticks to be delivered. Restaurants only pay for the chopsticks they don’t recycle - that means no waste, no extra charge.
CLOTHES
Greensquare
accepts clean clothes
H&M
H&M accepts any clothes of any brand in any condition
Uniqlo
Uniqlo accepts used UNIQLO-branded clothing
Zara
Zara accepts used clothing, household linen, footwear, accessories and jewellery from any brand in their stores.
SSVP - thrift and consignment store
E-WASTE
NEA
Below is a list of E-waste items NEA accepts at their collection points. You can find a collection point near you here
- Infocomm technology (ICT) equipment, such as desktop, laptop and tablet computers, mobile phones, computer and mobile phone batteries, printers, peripherals and accessories such as keyboards, modems, monitors, computer mice, docking stations, hard disk drives, battery chargers, etc.
- Home appliances, such as TVs, refrigerators, air conditioners, washing machines, rice cookers, microwave and toaster ovens, electric kettles, food processors and blenders, electric fans, DVD/video/music players, radios, hi-fis, vacuum cleaners, etc.
- Other types of e-waste include lamps and lighting devices, batteries, electronic toys, sports and leisure equipment, etc.
Starhub
StarHub Shops in Plaza Singapura and Tampines Mall.
Starhub accepts E -waste items such as discarded electronic and electrical products, such as routers, mobile phones, laptops, batteries, and wires.
City Square Mall
City Square Mall accepts electronic waste at L2 Customer Service Counter for recycling. These include unwanted PCs, phones, radios, kettles and so on.
They accept items that are no bigger than:
40cm (L) x 35cm (W) x 70cm (H)
Apple
You can trade in or dispose of your unwanted Apple products at Apple Stores
INK CARTRIDGE - Canon
Canon accepts Canon Ink Cartridges and toners for recycling at their customer care service centres
LIGHT BULBS AND FLUORESCENT TUBE LIGHTS
SHOES
Greensquare
accepts clean shoes in good wearing condition
Active SG
Collects shoes at many drop off points as well as at Decathlon
SPECTACLES
Visio Optical
Visio Optical runs a spectacle collection programme to ensure that spectacles are made available to the needy. They accept old or new spectacles, bring them along when you visit their store, and they'll take care of the rest.
"Put waste in the right place"
Did you know?
Food leftovers contaminate other recyclables in the blue recycling bins! This means that if leftovers end up in the recycle bin all the other items in there can't be recycled either. Rinse any food containers as well as jam jars, detergent and shampoo bottles before dropping them into the recycle bin. This way you are doing your part to make sure that more items will get recycled instead of ending up in land fill.
For example, used tissue paper, or the greasy part of a pizza box, half empty soda bottles and cigarette buds can't be recycled.
Read more here about what you can and can't recycle
Recycling is a great way to protect the environment. Did you know that:
- Recycling 1,000kg of paper saves 17 trees.
- Recycling an aluminium can saves 95% of the energy used to make a new one.
- Recycling a glass bottle saves 30% of the energy used to make a new one.
Singapore's Target 2030:
Of the waste generated in 2018, more than half - almost 4.63 million tonnes - was recycled.
Singapore has set a national recycling rate target of 70% in 2030, with
- an increase in domestic recycling rate from 22% in 2018 to 30% in 2030, and
- an increase for non-domestic recycling rate from 74% in 2018 to 81% in 2030.
How To Become a Better Recycler
Apart from the listed recycling places, malls such as Valley Point have recycling drop off stations too. So check out a mall near you to find out what you can drop off for recycling.
Read more here about Tips on How to be a Better Recycler from Valley Point's Blog
Share All You Know About Recycling With a Friend
Now when you know everything about recycling you can call yourself an Expert Recycler and start sharing your knowledge with friends and family. The better we become at recycling the less we waste.
Through effectively recycling we help to convert waste into useful products and conserves natural resources. Recycling also reduces the need for incineration and extends the lifespan of Semakau Landfill.
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