ARCHITECT Mu Rao can find a new use for many things that other people merely throw away.

She transforms paper bags into gift wraps, turning them inside out and decorating them with small roses made from pink plastic bags. She turns business cards into gift tags by painting over the printed side.

Mrs Rao, 34, is a committed recycler.

She reuses glass jars to store her spices and picklçs, sends cardboard cartons to her son’s school for use in art-and-craft lessons and uses the reverse side of letters as printer paper for her computer.

Her garbage is neatly sorted. She sets aside aluminium cans, glass bottles and paper to send to the recycling depot.

She does not even leave bus tickets, envelopes and receipts alone. She tries to open letters neatly so that she can reuse the envelopes, and sends her printer cartridges away to be refilled with ink.

And, now, she has got her neighbours, mostly ex-patriates, to join in.

Last year, she held a Christmas party to tell them about the benefits of recycling. She approached the management of the Leedon Heights condominium, in the Farrer Road area, to have recycling bins for aluminium, glass and batteries placed strategically around the grounds.

She says her husband, Mr Ramendar Rao, a 38-’year-old commodities trader, and son Nikhit, seven, are very supportive of her efforts.

Her positive attitude towards recycling is what the Environment Ministry hopes will multiply here.

Starting next month, HDB residents in Jurong will be given blue and yellow plastic bags to segregate their paper, plastics, glass and aluminium for recycling.

Paper will go into the blue bag, while plastics, glass and aluminium will go into the yellow one.

The bags, which measure 70 cm by 70 cm, will be delivered to their doorstep.

Twice a month, waste-management company Altvater Jakob, which won an ENV contract to provide the service, will collect the filled bags.

People in landed home will receive a special bi with a blue lid for their pa per, as well as the yellow bag. The first collection will take place on April 16.

Large recycling bins will also be placed at the bottom of HDB blocks. There are no penalties for residents who do not take part.

Altvater has pledged to donate a small percentage of its profits from recycling to charity.

Its director, Mr PetE Voegele, said the cans, bottles and plastic container do not have to be washed. The companies who buy the trash will wash them.

He said: "The success of this scheme depends on the residents, not the company. We hope they will all participate."

-By Paula McCoy

Source : The Sunday  Times, Mar 25, 2001

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