No prizes, no problem
Senior citizens go green, and it's not just to win prizes in recycling exchange initiative
Genevieve Jiang, The New Paper 7 May 08;
AGE is no barrier to being environmentally-conscious, as this group of four elderly residents at Simei proves.
Aged between 55 and 77, they gather at the void deck of Block 133, Simei Street 1, every month to collect old newspapers and unwanted electronic goods from their neighbours.
They are members of the senior citizens' club at their Residents' Committee (RC).
The oldest among them is Mr Lee Huay Min, 77.
The retiree is one of the group's most active members, turning up every month without fail since the programme started last year.
Despite his age, he helps carry and weigh heavy bundles of newspapers and boxes of old electronic equipment from 9am to noon.
Said Mr Tan, who previously owned a provision shop: 'In the past, I would carry heavy packets of milk powder, or rice, and deliver it to my customers.
'So carrying heavy things isn't a problem for me. I'm used to it.'
The group is part of the Changi-Simei Zone 2 recycling exchange initiative (REIT).
REIT is a recycling exchange programme that RCs started early last year with waste collector Altvater Jakob, where residents can exchange recyclables for consumable items, such as cooking oil, once every two months.
This initiative was set up to encourage residents to participate in recycling on a regular basis.
GOOD RESPONSE
Under the scheme, the RC can get a microwave oven in exchange for collecting 3,000kg of recyclable materials such as paper, metals, glass, plastics and even used clothing.
If a total of 12,000kg of recycled materials is collected, the RC can exchange it for a digital camera.
Because of good response from the residents, the programme became a monthly affair last year in July.
So far, the residents have managed to collect about 1,000kg in recyclable materials every month.
Although this amount is not enough for the RC to exchange it for a microwave oven, residents' committee chairman Douglas Ng, 47, said that it's not their objective.
'Our purpose is to get the residents, especially the elderly, actively involved in going green.
'It keeps them active and meaningfully engaged in the community,' he said.
Mr Lee first got started on the recycling programme when he was approached by Mr Ng last year.
Since then, he has been spreading the recycling message to his neighbours and other members of the senior citizens' club.
Said Mr Lee: 'Whenever I see my friends, I'll remind them to keep their old newspapers, clothes and electronics, instead of throwing them away.
'With the environment in turmoil, we all have to do our little bit to save the earth.'
The project has also helped residents to bond.
Said Mr Ng Choon Lim, 67, who works in financial services: 'Recycling becomes a family affair when you see residents, both old and young, coming down to give us their recyclables.
'It's a fun way to get together with neighbours and friends to do something useful.'
Besides recycling, both Mr Ng and Mr Lee are also helping to spread the anti-dengue message, by going door-to-door regularly with RC members to educate residents about how to make their homes mosquito-free.
Both men occasionally get their wives, both housewives, involved.
Said Mr Ng, who has three grown-up children, all in their 30s: 'My children have their own lives, so my wife and I are now free to engage in activities that we enjoy.'
