Resource Sorting Station Pilot

1. What is the Resource Sorting Station?

NUS aims to achieve a Zero Waste campus by 2030 of which we will significantly reduce our waste sent to incineration plants through sustained efforts in recycling, reusing, and reducing our consumption.

Supporting our vision, we have introduced the Resource Sorting Station at both Tembusu College and UTown Residences (UTR). This is the first smart waste and recycling collection in NUS, with clear streams to minimise contamination and weight sensors to track recycling progress:

2. Why do we need the Resource Sorting Station?

The existing chutes make mindless throwing and wasteful behaviour a habit. For recycling chutes, this had resulted in heavy recycling contamination which undermines our collective recycling efforts.

To move away from mindless throwing in chutes, the Resource Sorting Station has clear collection streams to guide mindful sorting of waste, resulting in clean, segregated recyclables that can be collected by our recycling vendor for processing in recycling plants.

Based on the first trial at Tembusu, we have seen near zero contamination at the Resource Sorting Station vs 50% in the recycling chutes!

FAQ (For the Tembusu & UTR residents):

3. Where is the Resource Sorting Stations located?

4: How can I contribute as a Tembusu/UTR resident?

The pilot is intended for the students staying at either Tembusu or UTR for this trial. Kindly follow the following steps:

Step 1: Register online or through the Resource Sorting Station’s touchscreen to get a password.

Tip: Screenshot your password so you won’t forget for subsequent login.

Step 2: Set up a corner in your room to store and sort your waste and recyclables till you are ready to bring them to the Resource Sorting Station. For hygiene reasons, do rinse and dry the recyclables before storing. For food waste (wet), you may deposit them at the nearest pantry or on your way out.

Tip: Grab a reusable bag (e.g., paper bag, cloth tote bag) from the nearest Reusable bag library to store clean recyclables.

Step 3: Deposit your waste and recyclables at the Resource Sorting Station on your way out of UTR. For recyclables, please unbag and deposit in the respective collection streams, i.e., no plastic bags.

5. What happens if I forget my password?

6. What can I deposit at the Resource Sorting Station?

7. Why does the final screen read 0 grams even though I had deposited items?

8. What happens to the recyclables after I deposit them?

9. The sorting station have an issue/problem!