Going Green with Recycling

Most of us can agree that recycling is a step in the right direction to reduce greenhouse gases. Gradually, people have started to recycle at homes, offices, and even public areas. However, more can be done to raise awareness on how best to recycle products so that it can be done efficiently. Here are some tips to help you on your recycling journey.

Tip 1: Read the instructions on the packaging

• Most products come sealed in a protective packaging, be it food items, electronics, etc. If the packaging is recyclable, it will state what part of it is recyclable with the corresponding recycling symbol and number. For example, BOH’s boxes, sachets and pouches are recyclable. Having a quick look at the packaging instructions can help save you some time when you are sorting out your recyclables.

Tip 2: No liquids or food leftovers in your recycling

• Containers, particularly plastic, with any food or grease residue cannot be recycled. This is because food items can spoil or rot which can lead to contamination during the recycling process. It is highly recommended that you rinse your recyclables with water before placing them in their proper recycling bins. For food scraps, there are other environmentally friendly ways to dispose of them such as composting.

Tip 3: Your old electronics can be recycled

• Old handphones, laptops and TVs made up almost 59 million tons in e-waste (electronic waste) in 2019, but only 17.4% of those were collected and recycled. However, e-waste has valuable materials such as copper wire and precious metals which are now in high demand due to soaring prices. There are a few options on how best to treat e-waste. Firstly, you should remove important data from devices or transfer the data to separate device or cloud server. If any of your devices are old but still on good working condition, you can consider donating them to charities. If your electronics have reached the end of their life cycle, you can look at trading them in (which is a popular option for mobile devices) or find an e-waste recycler in your area to dispose of them.

On Global Recycling Day this 18^th March, let us all continue to raise awareness on recycling and keep up our efforts to keep our planet cleaner and healthier. Happy Global Recycling Day!