A green fish out of water

For a country as notoriously strict on litter as Singapore, it sure sucks at recycling. It wasn't until I visited Orchard Road a whole three days after I arrived that I saw any recycling receptacles. I've seen a few paper, bottle and can bins here and there on public streets, but my apartment doesn't recycle, nor does my office building.

According to a website called Zero Waste Singapore, here are the 2008 recycling rates for the following products:

- Paper - 48%
- Plastics - 9%
- Metals (non-ferrous) - 85% (I do NOT believe this)
- Metals (ferrous) - 95% (or this...)
- Glass - 18%

It may not seem like a lot (especially in plastics and glass), especially when the EPA estimates US recycled only 32% of its waste in 2005. (Side note: these are the most recent figures I could find in a quick search...if the EPA wants people to cite more recent statistics, it should use better search engine optimization tools.) Not surprisingly in contrast, San Francisco is close to reaching its goal of recycling 75% of its waste by 2010. I don't expect everywhere to be as eco-friendly as San Francisco, but the path of the bulk of my kitchen waste makes me a little "green" around the gills.

Yes, that's a trash chute.