Collection from Bloobox vending machines islandwide from 19 March till 30 April 2023
Singapore, 17 March 2023 – To start the habit of recycling at home, the National Environment Agency (NEA) is encouraging every residential household in Singapore to set up a home recycling corner. To support this, every household in Singapore will be able to collect a free home recycling box, known as a Bloobox, from vending machines located islandwide from Sunday 19 March until Sunday 30 April 2023 (both dates inclusive)[1].
2 The Bloobox initiative forms part of the national Recycle Right campaign, which aims to help households recycle right and reduce the contamination rate in the blue recycling bins [2]. This complements Singapore’s ongoing efforts to make recycling convenient for households and raise awareness among residents on the benefits of recycling. Mr Ram Bhaskar, Deputy CEO of NEA, said, “We must get everyone into the habit of recycling at home if we want to achieve our national target of a 70 per cent overall recycling rate by 2030. We should also recycle right so that we do not contaminate the recyclables and unwittingly undermine our recycling efforts. Each of us has a part to play to reduce waste and, together, we can make a difference.”
3 Designed in collaboration with a team of students from the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT), the Bloobox is foldable and can hold up to 5kg of paper, plastic, metal or glass recyclables, or e-waste. The Bloobox can be washed and reused.
4 The Bloobox has instructions printed on it to help households identify what can and cannot be recycled. For example, it explains that paper, metal, plastic, and glass can be recycled. However, Styrofoam and food-stained items should not be recycled. Food or liquids should also not be placed in the Bloobox. There is also a removable divider, so that households can create a separate compartment for small e-waste items. When the Bloobox is full, the recyclables can be placed in either a blue recycling bin or recycling chute. E-waste items such as light bulbs and batteries should be deposited into e-waste bins. Instructions on how to use the Bloobox are in the Annex.
5 From Sunday 19 March 2023, the Bloobox can be collected from vending machines by scanning the barcode of a Singapore-issued identification document, e.g., NRIC, FIN card or SingPass Digital NRIC. Alternatively, residents may also key in their NRIC or FIN number at the vending machines. Vending machines have been deployed at more than 140 locations across Singapore in places such as Community Clubs, selected bus interchanges and other common spaces.
6 Before collecting the Bloobox, households are encouraged to visit gowhere.gov.sg/bloobox to check the locations of the nearest vending machines and stock levels. Members of the public may contact NEA at www.nea.gov.sg/feedback for assistance.
[1] The vending machines will be operational from 9 am onwards on 19 March 2023.
[2] The contamination rate for the blue recycling bin is about 40 per cent.
~~ End ~~
For more information, please submit your enquiries electronically via the Online Feedback Form or myENV mobile application.
Annex
Instructions on How to Use the Bloobox
How do I use the Bloobox?
Follow the steps below:
a. Identify a suitable location in your home to set up a recycling corner. A good spot would be next to the trash bin.
b. Open the recycling box as shown in the picture below and place it at the recycling corner.
c. Slot the partition in the box at the preferred position. The purpose of the partition is to segregate smaller e-waste items from other recyclables.
d. Place clean glass, paper, plastic, and metal recyclables together in the main compartment of the box. Please refer to the recycling bin label on the recycling box, or this guide for the list of common items that can and cannot be recycled. A recycling search engine has also been developed to help households identify recyclables. Place e-waste items in the smaller e-waste compartment.
e. When the recycling box is full, bring it to the nearest recycling bin or recycling chute and empty the contents of the main compartment in the blue bin/recycling chute. E-waste items such as light bulbs and batteries should be deposited into the nearest e-waste bin, not the blue recycling bin.
f. The recycling box is reusable. However, if the Bloobox is unable to be further used, households may fold the Bloobox and place it in the recycling bin or recycling chutes for recycling.
