Written Reply to Parliamentary Question on Recycling Bins in Private Condominiums by Ms Grace Fu, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment

Written Reply by Ms Grace Fu, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment, to Parliamentary Question on Recycling Bins in Private Condominiums

Dr Shahira Abdullah: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) how many blue recycling bins have been deployed in private condominiums; (b) whether there are requirements for condominium management to engage a licensed public waste collector to collect the recyclables from the blue bins in the condominiums; and (c) how much recyclables are collected from condominiums every year.

Answer:

1 Under the Environmental Public Health Act, all condominiums and private apartments are required to provide one recycling receptacle for each block in their development and to send the recyclables for recycling. There are more than 9,000 recycling bins in condominiums and private apartments.

2 Condominiums and private apartments that are on the Public Waste Collection scheme are provided with blue recycling bins, and the recyclables are collected by licensed Public Waste Collectors (PWCs) appointed by the National Environment Agency (NEA). Condominiums and private apartments that opt out of this scheme are required to provide their own recycling receptacles and engage a licensed General Waste Collector to collect and send their recyclables to recycling facilities.

3 On average, about 750 tonnes of recyclables were collected from condominiums and private apartments served by PWCs every year for the past 2 years. NEA does not have data on the recyclables collected from premises that have opted out of the Public Waste Collection scheme.