Society was almost frayed at the seams after a member of the public posted a video on Facebook complaining that recyclables were seen collectively dumped into what looked like a generic waste truck for regular trash:

The video was posted by Frank Hiew on April 25.

Hiew wrote:

Are you not convinced? Sad to see how Sembcorp has carried out the job this way. This is most likely the instructions or arrangement by Sembcorp, not the driver or the 2 workers fault.

This has been in practices for many years and I ever shared with friends around me. Some even doubt me of what I said was true and this morning, bingo when I drove out of my carpark, they were there!!!

What is the point of sorting out paper, plastic, glasses, wooden, metal or even reusable stuffs that can be used by needy families?

Isn't it a white elephant programme just for show to impress how good we are in doing recycle projects? Isn't this an another rubbish bin?

So someone emailed Sembcorp and this is what they said:

"Thank you for your email and noted of your concerns.

The recyclables are taken to the material recovery facilities where they are sorted from the plant. Should you require further assistance or clarification, please do email us or call us at our hotline 1800 278 6135."

The video was shared 485 times as of April 26, 5.45pm, with most comments expressing disappointment that recycling is not taken seriously in Singapore.

SembWaste's response

However, responding to queries by Mothership.sg, SembWaste clarified that the truck is indeed a recycling truck as it has a recycling logo on the lower right-hand corner.

The truck was also following correct procedure as recycling trucks collect all recyclables at the same time in a single trip for productivity reasons and the items are sorted out later.

Recycling trucks also have to follow a separate schedule from waste trucks.

This is SembWaste's reply in full:

We would like to clarify that recyclables collected by our company are never mixed or collected together with garbage. Instead, separate recyclables trucks are sent to collect the contents of recyclables bins. These recyclables trucks follow a separate schedule from waste trucks. However, the type of truck used as recyclables trucks is very similar to those used as waste trucks, and for a layman, it can be difficult to distinguish the two. In the case of the truck in the video, we have verified that this is indeed a recycling truck and not a waste truck. A recycling logo may be seen on the lower right-hand corner on the side of the truck itself.

Also, we understand that some members of the public have noticed that the same truck appears to be collecting different types of recyclables in a single trip, rather than only collecting a single stream of recyclables. This is the correct procedure, as collection of the recyclables under NEA’s National Recycling Programme is done on a comingled basis for productivity reasons.

In summary, we would like to assure the public that SembWaste is serious about recycling, and that recyclables collected by our company are indeed sent to our Materials Recovery Facility, for sorting and recycling. We would like to ask that the public continue to recycle, and partner companies like us in keeping Singapore green.

If you cannot see the video above, here it is: