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Want to recycle more but don't know what to do? A home recycling corner may be a good place to start, says the National Environment Agency (NEA).
To build up a habit of recycling at home, every Singapore household will be able to collect a free home recycling box, known as a Bloobox, from vending machines in over 140 locations starting Sunday (March 19) at 9am.
Until April 30, the Bloobox can be collected by scanning the barcode of Singapore-issued identification documents, like an NRIC, FIN card or SingPass Digital NRIC, or by keying in NRIC and FIN numbers into the vending machines.
Each household is entitled to one Bloobox.
The initiative is part of the national Recycle Right campaign, which aims to help households recycle right and reduce the current 40 per cent contamination rate in blue recycling bins
The vending machines have been placed in Community Clubs, bus interchanges and other common places across Singapore, and a website shows the nearest vending machine to any given location or postal code.
The foldable box, designed in collaboration with students from the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT), can hold up to five kilogrammes of paper, plastic, metal and glass recyclables as well as e-waste.
It also comes with instructions to help households identify what can be recycled, much like the larger blue recycling bins in our neighbourhoods. A removable divider is also provided for households to separate recyclables from small e-waste items.
When the Bloobox is full, recyclables can be dropped off at blue recycling bins or recycling chutes, and e-waste items like light bulbs and batteries can be deposited into designated e-waste bins.
The Bloobox itself is washable and reusable, and can be recycled when it can no longer be used.