Recycling bin or rubbish dump?
I just threw away a few plastic mineral water bottles that have been lying on my desk for sometime.
In they went to the rubbish bin.
It did cross my mind that it seemed a bit wasteful to throw the bottles away as they were still in good condition. But where can I throw them so they could be put to better use? Recycling bins?
Sounds like a good idea. But where? Now that is a problem. It’s much faster and easier to throw the bottles into the bin. And so that was where they ended up.
The way I deal with the recyclables around me, is perhaps familiar to most.
Most of us probably know the 3Rs—Recycle, Reuse and Reduce (don’t ask me which order they are in though) by heart, but how many actually practise it?
There might be a recycling bin just below your block, but would you collect your plastic bottles, soft drink cans, rough paper etc and carry them down to the bin?
Most people treat it more like a rubbish bin than anything else. Just like this recycling bin that I walked past the other day. It remained the same the next day I saw it.
People are simply passive towards recycling, even if the bin is made so convenient for us.
In Germany, people walk quite a distance to recycle their things, and it has become a lifestyle more than anything else. But I do not think this lifestyle is going to work in Singapore, unless incentives are given for recycling.
For instance, if you return a plastic shampoo bottle to the supermart, they rebate you 10 cents on your next purchase. This will probably not drive the actual message home, but it should be an effective method to promote recycling. But I wonder how the manufacturers and businesses will like this?
Most people usually store and keep old newspapers and magazines at home until the garang guni man comes or when it is time for the collection of the green recycling bag. The garang guni man typically hands over a few cents, while there is no money earned from the latter.
If people have this habit of storing newspapers for recycling, why not for plastic water bottles, shampoo bottles, paper etc?
posted by yvonne @ 9:56 PM
3 Comments
3 Comments:
It would take a long long time for people to get into the habit. Even the problem of littering, after years of education and fines, is still there.
But, unlike Germany, we are still a young country.
If only someone can come up with a brilliant business idea to remunerate people for saving recycle-able materials. Singaporeans are very "gian-peng", so must adapt to the mentality. :p
So they are accyually giving you 10 cent discount in the store for the schampo bottles. How does it work? Do they hand over the bottles in a special machine. To the staff? Please tell me. I´m student doinf research in the field for an exhibition at the furniture fais in Stockholm. It would be very helpful.
Is it only certain brands doing this, giving 10 cent discount. What brands are they? Do they give information about this on the bottles, that you get an discount. Do you know what Kind of plastic these bottles are made of? PP? Is it an intiativ made by the store, the government or the "shampo-maker" Would love to hear from you
sincerly Marona Grundén
industrial_designer@marona.se
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home