Jin Yuze (SOC), John Elijah Gan (SDE), Ng Shuo Qi Constance (SOC), Tan Yu Ying Ericia (FASS)
Academic Advisor: Dr. Chua Siew Chin
Proper recycling is essential to reduce resource use, but improper disposal of items such as disposable plastic cutlery, soiled food packaging and plastic packaging with foil into the local recycling bins has resulted in a staggering low 4% recycling rates of plastics (NEA,2018). Our project aims to increase awareness of proper recycling among Ridge View Residential College residents, and introduce the concept that recyclables are not trash, but have a purpose and afterlife. We replaced the plastic recycling bin with our self-designed transparent shelving system, which improved the visibility of what can be recycled and deter disposal of soiled items. We quantified the amount of plastic recycled pre and post implementation and surveyed the residents. Our results showed that although the total amount of plastics collected had decreased, the contamination had also reduced significantly, which would ultimately result in more clean plastic items being recycled.