Singapore's Newly Launched Recycling Initiative Targets to Collect 50,000 Kg of E-Waste

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): A recycling initiative aims to collect huge volumes of discarded electronic waste to minimize the effects of rising e-waste volumes in Singapore. The campaign titled ‘HP Make IT Green’, which was officially launched yesterday, would run until the end of this year.

According to sources, the new campaign is part of Clean-Up South West, the District’s trash-for-groceries recycling drive which aims to build a cleaner and greener Singapore. As part of the initiative, leading IT major HP will collaborate with the South West Community Development Council (CDC) and National Environment Agency’s (NEA) South West Regional Office to open recycling points in areas including Bukit Batok ans Alexandra.

The recycling points will be kept open until the end of this year. Residents will be able to drop off their unwanted electronic waste including computers, laptops and monitors in addition to bigger electronics items such as fridges. Apart from that, the initiative will also collect e-waste from nearby schools. The e-waste recycling drive aims to collect nearly 50,000 kilograms of electronic waste over the year. The funds raised from refurbishing or recycling the old devices will be donated to The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund, which in turn will be utilized for charity works.

ALSO READ: ASSOCHAM Study Reveals Alarming Rise in Discarded E-waste Volumes

Speaking at the official launch of the programme, the Mayor of South West District, Ms Low Yen Ling stated that the growing use of electronics has led to dramatic increase in e-waste volumes. As per estimates, Singaporeans discard nearly 60 million kilograms of used electronic waste per annum. These items need to be disposed of properly to ensure protection of human health and environment, the Mayor added.

Lionel Chng, Managing Director, HP Incorporated noted that all personal data present in PCs will be destroyed before the gadgets are recycled. He urged consumers to erase any personal data before the gadgets are handed over for recycling.

The studies conducted by the UN states that global e-waste is likely to hit 49.8 million tons by 2018, led by Asian countries. The studies have found that Singapore is one of the primary e-waste generators in the region with per capita e-waste generation rate of 19.95 kilograms, next to only Hong Kong.