To ensure second-hand smoke will not bother residents in public spaces, Nee Soon South grassroots organisations have built 42 designated smoking points near coffee shops and Housing Board blocks.

Although smokers will not be penalised if they light up outside these designated points, they are encouraged to use the 3m by 3m smoking corners, which come with a roof for shelter, benches and dustbins with ashtrays.

Eight more such points will be built for new residents moving into new flats by the end of this year or next year, depending on when they collect their keys, said Nee Soon GRC Member of Parliament Lee Bee Wah at the launch of the smoking points yesterday.

The Nee Soon South estate comprises 147 blocks.

Ms Lee had said earlier that second-hand smoke is also a problem for residents living on lower floors and above coffee shops.

The smoking corners started with an initial six, built by the Nee Soon South constituency in 2014.

 It was expanded after feedback from residents.

One resident, Madam Lee Eng Yok, 83, said: “It’s good that there’s somewhere for them to go to smoke, and we won’t have to breathe in second-hand smoke.”

The project cost about $500,000, paid for by private donors, including corporations and individuals.

Resident Joe Poh, 44, who smokes, said he sometimes uses the designated points, although he said it is inconvenient to get to when it rains because of the lack of sheltered walkways.

audreyt@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on Jan 23, 2017.
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A Jetstar plane bound for Phuket had to turn back to Singapore yesterday afternoon, 25 minutes after take-off due to a “ventilation issue”.

The Airbus A320-232 landed safely at 3.55pm at Changi Airport’s Terminal 1, with no reports of injury.

A Changi Airport spokesman confirmed that flight 3K535, which departed at 2.40pm, had requested to turn back and its request was granted.

Jetstar spokesman Robin Goh told The Straits Times that the pilot decided for the aircraft to return to Singapore as a precautionary measure after there was an indication that the plane was experiencing a ventilation issue.

“The safety of our crew and customers is our top priority,” said Mr Goh.

“Jetstar apologies to customers for the inconvenience this has caused and has transferred all passengers on another aircraft to depart this evening.

This article was first published on Jan 23, 2017.
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In its first year of operation, the Centre for Domestic Employees (CDE) has handled more than 500 cases, with salary disputes, request for transfers and physical abuse being the three most common issues.

While over 80 per cent of all the cases have been resolved, the centre wants to push to make it mandatory for employers to pay their maids electronically, so maids have more ownership of their money.

Speaking at an event to share the CDE’s report card and thank its volunteers, the centre’s chairman Yeo Guat Kwang said salary disputes arise as there is no standardised system for paying these workers.

Currently, some employers pay their maids in cash.

In some cases, the employers “act as bankers” and collect loan repayments from maids on behalf of maid agencies, Mr Yeo noted.

But when employers are financially tight, they pay the maids late or not at all.

GO CASHLESS

Welcoming CDE’s push for cashless payments, the Association of Employment Agencies president K. Jayaprema said this will enable the workers, the authorities and employers to track independent records to prove if payments were made correctly and on time.

The CDE, which is run by the National Trades Union Congress, will push for electronic payments to be applied to all domestic workers, Mr Yeo said.

The centre, which has sheltered 110 workers since opening on Jan 24 last year, will open a second shelter in a yet undisclosed location in June, which can house up to 100 maids.

It also has plans for programmes such as counselling, retraining and temporary job placements for those staying for longer periods.

Those involved in abuse cases may stay at the shelter for six months or so.

To help employers and employees understand each other better and reduce miscommunication, the centre launched a series of books which portray, through comics, cultural misunderstandings that may arise.

The books come in four different bilingual versions and are available at the CDE’s office and website.

mellinjm@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on Jan 23, 2017.
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With 60,000 tonnes of electronic waste – as heavy as 220 Airbus A380 planes – churned out every year, Singapore was recently named the second biggest e-waste producer in South-east Asia and the Far East by a United Nations University report.

Singapore generated 19.95kg of e-waste per capita in 2015, behind Hong Kong’s 21.7kg and ahead of Taiwan’s 19.13kg.

Yet only a small fraction of our discarded electronics and electrical equipment (EEE) gets recycled.

The problem could lie with consumers and small and medium enterprises (SME), recycling firms told The New Paper.

Vans Chemistry’s managing director, Mr Venkatesha Murthy, said: “I would say 90 per cent of the corporates here do it the right way.

The worrying thing is that we don’t know the journey of the e-waste from SMEs and households.

“The computer or the TV that is left near the rubbish chute may be picked up by someone for reuse or repair. We don’t know what happens after the most useful parts are extracted.”

Often, they end up in the incineration plants, he said.

The lack of e-waste recycling is a pressing issue because it is both a waste of resources and a source of pollution when the incinerated bits are dumped in landfills.

Cadmium in rechargeable nickel-cadmium batteries, for instance, can accumulate in the body upon exposure and cause lung and kidney damage in the long term.

In Singapore, e-waste disposal is not legislated.

The National Environment Agency is looking at a national e-waste management system, with the study expected to be completed in the first quarter of this year.

Meanwhile, the public is encouraged to recycle e-waste through initiatives in the community.

One of the more extensive programmes is Renew (REcycling the Nation’s Electronic Waste), which StarHub runs with partners DHL and recycling firm TES-AMM.

With specialised bins islandwide, the programme saw its e-waste recycling tonnage jump from 2,695kg in 2012 to nearly 53,000kg from January to November last year.

But awareness remains a key challenge, said StarHub.

Its spokesman told TNP: “To improve e-waste recycling rates, first, we need to understand what e-waste is, the impact and ramifications of its improper disposal as well as how and what we can do about it.”

Legislation could help, said National University of Singapore’s (NUS) Associate Professor Tong Yen Wah.

The co-director of NUS’ Energy and Environmental Sustainability Solutions for Megacities programme cited Japan as an example.

With laws enacted in the 1990s, Japan boasts a 50 per cent recycling rate.

A regulatory system is needed to keep the e-waste problem from mounting, said Mr Venkatesha.

Then, the financial incentives can come in, he added.

Agreeing, e-waste recycler Virogreen’s marketing manager, Mr Mohamed Sharul Annuar, said cost is a huge obstacle for SMEs, some of which are struggling to survive.

When such a system is in place and a market is created, recyclers will be incentivised to collect e-waste, Mr Venkatesha added.

StarHub believes in encouragement rather than enforcement.

“Being responsible is as simple as correctly disposing or recycling our e-waste, whether it be at an individual or at a corporate level,” its spokesman said.

How does electronic waste get recycled?

The life cycle of electronics and electrical equipment (EEE) does not end when they stop working.

If recycled properly, the precious metals found in electronic waste can go towards new EEE products.

Discarded consumer electronics such as mobile phones, for instance, contain small amounts of precious and rare earth metals such as gold and silver.

Scrapped cars and home appliances such as fridges and air conditioners also contain these rare metals, along with base metals of iron and zinc.

In Singapore, there are several e-waste recycling initiatives for consumers.

StarHub, for instance, partners recycling company Tes-Amm and logistics company DHL Delivery to place 328 specialised recycling bins in 277 locations under its Renew programme.

Singtel has recycling bins placed at three of its shops for consumers to discard their used gadgets.

Under the Project Homecoming initiative led by Canon and Epson, those with ink and toner cartridges can also drop them off at selected National Library Board locations.

SORTED

Once collected, the e-waste is sorted, labelled and dismantled according to their types – wires, LCD screens, hard disks and more.

Measures, such as demagnetising hard disks, are taken to ensure data security.

The e-waste is then exported to countries equipped to separate the metals through chemical processes.

Once extracted, the metals are used in the manufacture of new products.

Why recycle e-waste?

When electronic waste is not disposed of properly, both the environment and public health suffer.

This is because e-waste is very heterogeneous, National University of Singapore’s Associate Professor Tong Yen Wah explained.

Apart from being made up of many types of components and materials, discarded electronics are also assembled in many ways, from simple devices like batteries to complex ones like smartphones.

“All of these make e-waste very difficult to handle and recycle, and if their disposal is not done properly, these materials can get out and be circulated in the environment,” said the co-director of NUS’ Energy and Environmental Sustainability Solutions for Megacities programme.

For instance, toxins from e-waste in landfills can seep into the groundwater that flows into rivers, causing water pollution.

fjieying@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on Jan 23, 2017.
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