OREANDA-NEWS. In Singapore, 60 tonnes of electronic waste, or e-waste, are generated per year, half contributed by households and the other half from industrial and commercial sectors.

Panasonic Asia Pacific, in partnership with South East Community Development Council (CDC) and e-waste recycler Cimelia, launched Phase II of the Heartland E-waste Recycling Programme this year at a community event on 23 January 2015. This eco and CSR initiative is also supported by the National Environment Agency (NEA) under the 3P Partnership (People, Private and Public sectors) framework.

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    (2nd from left) Mr Lim Biow Chuan, Grassroots Adviser of Mountbatten Grassroots Organisations; Mdm Kng Kheat Hong, South East District resident; Dr Maliki Osman, Mayor of South East District; Mr Yuji Arami, Director of Environment & External Affairs Group, Panasonic Asia Pacific; (1st on right) Mr Jerry Ng, Director of Cimelia with two student volunteers

Back in 2013, Panasonic Asia Pacific piloted the programme in two divisions in South East District - Mountbatten and Marine Parade. The pilot ran for seven months beginning July 2013. It provided an integrated and structured platform for residents to recycle their unwanted home appliances and electronic gadgets. For the first time, residents also had a convenient channel to dispose and recycle their bulky home appliances such as washing machines and refrigerators.

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The pilot successfully collected a total 1,812 pieces of e-waste weighing 10,204kg. This year Panasonic Asia Pacific, together with its partners, expanded the Heartland E-waste Recycling Programme to five more neighbourhoods, bringing the total participating neighbourhoods in South East District to seven. Phase II will run for nine months from February to October 2015. Residents can recycle their e-waste through monthly collection drives in South East District. Target amount of recyclables for Phase II is 12,000kg.

Whilst the pilot focused on quantitative data collection, a survey on residents' awareness and receptivity towards e-waste recycling will also be conducted through home visits by participating students and via volunteer engagement at the various collection points. Such insights will assist in mapping out Singapore's e-waste landscape.

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    Students going on house visits to install Panasonic energy efficient light bulbs
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    Mdm Kng Kheat Hong saying her thanks to Mr Arami for the light bulbs

The programme not only aims to heighten awareness on the importance of proper e-waste recycling, but it also seeks to lend a helping hand to less privileged families through the donation of 5,000 energy-efficient light bulbs. For every piece of e-waste contributed by residents for recycling, Panasonic will pledge between 1 and 3 energy-efficient light bulbs for donation. Under the pilot, 2,719 light bulbs were earned, out of which 320 were installed at the launch of Phase II by 40 student volunteers from tertiary institutions as well as VIPs.

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Responsible e-waste recycling is a shared responsibility among both public and private sectors, as well as the community. As a recycling-oriented manufacturer, Panasonic Asia Pacific will continue to reach out to the community through our CSR efforts and actively engage youths via school outreach programmes and factory visits so as to raise awareness on resource conservation.