Oral Reply to Parliamentary Question on Bloobox by Mr Baey Yam Keng, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Sustainability and the Environment

Oral Reply to Parliamentary Question on Bloobox by Mr Baey Yam Keng, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Sustainability and the Environment

Mr Yip Hon Weng: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) what are the typical reasons given by households for not collecting the Bloobox; (b) what is the feedback given by households that have collected the Bloobox regarding its usefulness for their recycling efforts; (c) what are the measurable targets that NEA has set to determine the success of the Bloobox initiative; and (d) what will the Ministry do with uncollected boxes after the deadline for collection on 30 April 2023 has lapsed.

Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) what is the number of free Blooboxes that have been collected as at 30 April 2023; (b) what does the Ministry intend to do with the balance Blooboxes that are not collected; and (c) how will the Ministry continue to encourage recycling in households when the current distribution exercise ends.

Dr Wan Rizal: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) what measures are being taken to increase the adoption of Bloobox among Singapore households, considering that only one in five households have collected the box so far; and (b) how the Ministry plans to strengthen public education and awareness campaigns to encourage more households to participate in such recycling initiatives.

Ms Joan Pereira: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) what is the nationwide collection rate for the Bloobox, an initiative under the Recycle Right campaign, as of 30 Apr 2023; (b) whether there has been improvement in the recycling rates since the launch of the campaign; and (c) whether there are plans to push for increased usage of the Bloobox going forward.

Answer:

1 Mr Speaker, may I have your permission to address Question No 2 and Question No 16 for written reply in today’s Order Paper in a combined reply? I will also respond to Question No 27 for written reply raised by Mr Melvin Yong and 28 for written reply raised by Dr Wan Rizal from the Order Paper on 8 May 2023.

2 The Bloobox initiative was launched in Nov 2022 as part of our national Recycle Right campaign. Blooboxes carry labels to help households identify what can and cannot be recycled. By facilitating and encouraging households to set up a recycling corner, we hope to encourage recycling and raise the recycling rate. By the end of the distribution period on 30 Apr 2023, about 530,000 or 93% of the Blooboxes have been distributed.

3 To facilitate the distribution of Blooboxes, vending machines were placed across Singapore, including at community clubs and bus interchanges. Distribution booths were also set up at community events, shopping malls and hawker centres. These distribution efforts were publicised through flyers, posters and digital notifications via the Singpass mobile application. Blooboxes were also distributed to interested primary and secondary schools to encourage students to recycle in school and at home.

4 The strong and positive response by the public reflects the community’s interest in recycling at home or offices, and their appreciation of the utility of the Blooboxes. Nevertheless, not every household requires a Bloobox as many may already have existing recycling corners using other containers, and this was taken into consideration when we planned for the number of Blooboxes to be distributed in this initiative.

5 Following the end of the Bloobox distribution period, the National Environment Agency will continue to collaborate with our various partners to encourage households to recycle as part of the Recycle Right campaign. The remaining Blooboxes will be used to support this campaign.