Recycling bins take on fancier shapes

Channel NewsAsia 4 Dec 07;

SINGAPORE: Recyling bins could soon take on fancier shapes if the winners of a design competition have their way.

They aim to use their designs to spur companies to get involved in recycling and to spark an interest in people to recycle more.

Bassam Jabry, Chemistry, winner of 10 TouchPoints Design Competition, said: "In Singapore, everybody is very used to not littering. So that's brilliant. We throw away stuff but that in itself has become a problem.

"We are so good at throwing away things that we need to shift that habit a little bit. Certain things like bottles or cans or papers can be recycled very well."

The prototype that won the 10 TouchPoints Design Competition – organised by the DesignSingapore Council a few months ago – costs a few thousand dollars to produce.

It is now on display outside the National Library at Victoria Street, along with winning designs from other categories.

Visitors have written comments about the exhibits in a booklet – one has suggested making a recycling bin for clothes. Another brought up the point that recycling bins should be placed near homes and in HDB estates.

More recycling bins for paper, bottles and drink cans have just been put outside Ngee Ann City. These bins could be fancier if funding for them gets the green light.- CNA/so