Office of Environmental Sustainability

Paper Recycling Pilot Project

Article Contribution by Faculty of Engineering Green Team


Start your engine! We are going ‘Green’!

Global warming and climate change issues are being brought up in Singapore and all around the world.
People everywhere are voicing out their concerns and this includes the community in NUS.

NUS, with the lead from Office of Environmental Sustainability (OES)), along with Office of Estate and Development (OED) and Students Against Violation of the Earth (SAVE) has taken many initiatives in developing positive solutions to deal with climate change issues and in facing today's ecological challenges.

The Faculty of Engineering recognises that it has a role in contributing to this effort and looks forward to supporting them in this initiative. As paper, a valuable resource, is found to be one of the biggest recyclable items, the Faculty had formed a ‘Green’ Committee comprising of administrative staff and lab technicians, led by Prof Lim Seh Chun. They met with OES, OED and student leaders from SAVE and planned to start a pilot project on paper recycling.

The ‘paper recycling pilot project’

The Faculty started its paper recycling pilot project in Block EA on 4 August 2009. The pilot project lasted for two weeks from 4-17 August and during this time, the team gathered feedback on how best to improve on the collection efforts. The project will be extended to the other blocks in the Faculty after this initial pilot project.

In the pilot project, every faculty member in Block EA was given an A4-sized box, aka the ‘Green’ box by members of the ‘Green’ Committee and students from SAVE. To help reduce contamination, faculty members were advised to place only their recyclable papers into this box, while garbage should be thrown into their wastepaper baskets. The cleaners will come each day to clear these and they have been instructed to carry two bags, a black trash bag for garbage and a transparent bag for the recyclable papers. If faculty members needed to leave their offices for a longer period of time that day, they could place their filled ‘Green’ boxes and wastepaper baskets outside their rooms for the cleaners.

Following the ‘spoke and hub’ recycling system which has been set up, the recyclable papers that are collected by the cleaners will then be taken to the collection centres for the recycling vendors. Papers are not only being recycled by the faculty members, but also by staff in department offices and laboratories. Shredded papers are being cleared by the cleaners too and are taken to the collection centres.
 

The ‘Green’ box and the wastepaper basket are placed outside the faculty members’ rooms when they have to leave their offices for a longer period of time that day.


Madam Supiah our helpful cleaner in Block EA is seen here clearing the recyclable papers and placing them in a transparent bag.
 



Shredded papers are taken to one of the collection centres to be collected by the vendors.


During this pilot project, we hope to obtain feedback from faculty members with regards to the paper recycling effort.
Here are some photos and feedback from faculty members.

  Prof Lu Li from the Department of Mechanical Engineering with his ‘Green’ box. Thank you Prof for your support!
“I believe in environmental protection especially in Paper Recycling. I always collect used papers, old books and magazines in plastic bags. I would bring these bags to any recycling centres/bins that I can find to dispose them. It is tiring looking for one, and more effort is needed when the load is heavy.

I am glad that the Faculty of Engineering supports the Recycling Initiative and has launched a pilot project, by distributing ‘Green’ boxes to staff offices. This project will greatly facilitate my disposal effort mentioned above and will undoubtedly encourage more colleagues to recycle as they can dispose of the used paper in a box provided at their office door step.”

A/Prof Lim Kah Bin
Assistant Dean, External Relations Office
 


Many people think they need to make big changes to go ‘Green’, but it can really be changing and doing small and simple things. We hope this project will inspire others to come out with more ideas and methods in going ‘Green’.

We would like to express our appreciation to Mr. Marcus Tay of OES, Mr. Supari Bin Warno of OED, Mr. Ong Wei Tao and the Students Against Violation of the Earth (SAVE) for their support and advice.
Thank you everyone and we look forward to your continuous support for our paper recycling effort.


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