Town councils active in recycling campaign

Straits Times Forum 27 Feb 08;

WE REFER to the letter, 'Town councils should be more involved in recycling effort' by Mr Phillip Ang Keng Hong (Feb 12).

Under the National Recycling Programme administered by the National Environment Agency (NEA), town councils have partnered public waste collectors to provide one set of recycling bins for every five blocks of flats. The public waste collectors undertake to collect the recyclable materials weekly. We will increase the number of recycling bins and frequency of collections as and when the quantity of recyclables collected increases to target levels. It is necessary to balance this with operational cost to avoid escalating costs which would lead to higher fees for residents.

On the suggestion that recycling companies could explore working with town council cleaners in recycling efforts, we are glad to inform Mr Ang that our public waste collectors have indicated that they are ready to work with town council cleaners to explore opportunities for cooperation in sourcing recyclable items and maximising returns.

On his suggestion that town councils do more to encourage residents to recycle, Mr Ang may be pleased to know that town councils already work with NEA, community development councils, grassroots organisations and recycling companies to promote recycling as a way of life. Programmes implemented include a 'cash for trash' initiative where residents can exchange recyclable materials for instant cash, a recycling drive under the umbrella of MediaCorp's Save The Earth campaign, and the annual Recycling Day in the heartland to promote and encourage recycling among the public.

Town councils also take on the responsibility to educate residents on the proper way of recycling. Residents should not simply discard unwanted things, including non-recyclable items and food waste, in our recycling bins. On the other hand, our cleaners can help clear these items left beside the recycling bins as they do items left around litter bins. We firmly believe that a successful national recycling programme entails the full cooperation of both residents and cleaners.

We assure Mr Ang the town councils and NEA will continue to work with all stakeholders to make the national recycling programme a success.

Albert Teng Ann Boon
General Manager
Holland-Bukit Panjang Town Council
on behalf of the 14 PAP Town Councils

Ong Seng Eng
Director, Resource Conservation Department
National Environment Agency

Recycling: Cooperation vital
Town councils, NEA working with all stakeholders
Today Online 28 Feb 08;

Letter from Albert Teng Ann Boon
General Manager Holland-Bukit Panjang Town Council on behalf of the 14 PAP Town Councils
Letter from Ong Seng Eng
Director, Resource Conservation Department National Environment Agency

We refer to the letter by Mr Phillip Ang Keng Hong, "Town Councils, rev up recycling" (Feb 12).Under the National Recycling Programme administered by the National Environment Agency (NEA), town councils have partnered the public waste collectors (picture) to provide one set of recycling bins for every five blocks of flats. The public waste collectors undertake to collect the recyclable materials on a weekly basis.

We will increase the number of recycling bins and the frequency of collections as and when the quantity of recyclables collected increase to target levels. It is necessary to balance this with the operational cost to avoid escalating costs which would lead to higher fees for residents.

On the suggestion that recycling companies could explore working with town councils' cleaners in recycling efforts, we are glad to inform Mr Ang that our public waste collectors have indicated that they are ready to work with town councils' cleaners to explore opportunities for cooperation in sourcing for recyclable items and maximising the returns.

On Mr Ang's suggestion, town councils should do more to encourage residents to recycle, Mr Ang may be pleased to know that town councils are already working with NEA, Community Development Councils, grassroots organisations and recycling companies to actively promote recycling as a way of life.

Some of the programmes which have been implemented include a 'cash for trash' initiative where residents can exchange their recyclable materials for instant cash, a recycling drive under the umbrella of MediaCorp's Saving Gaia campaign, and the annual Recycling Day held in the heartlands to promote and encourage recycling among the public.

The town councils also take on the responsibility to educate residents on the proper way of recycling. Residents should not simply discard their unwanted things, including non-recyclable items and food waste, into our recycling bins. On the other hand, our cleaners can help to clear away these items left outside the recycling bins in the same manner as they would for items left on top or around litter bins.

We firmly believe that the implementation of a successful national recycling programme entails the full cooperation of both the residents and the cleaners. We wish to assure Mr Ang that the town councils and NEA will continue to work with all our stakeholders to make our national recycling programme a success.