Tzu Chi volunteers have been working on promoting recycling awareness and engaging the residents since the Chai Chee recycling point was established in November 2008. Our team of volunteers received a special guest on a sunny Sunday on 17 Jan. Brother Loh Kim Chye, founding member of the Chai Chee recycling point, explaining the recycling point’s operation to SM Goh.

Mr Goh admiring the PET-made eco-blanket.

After listening to the volunteers’ explanation on the Tzu Chi reusable utensils, Mr Goh made suggestion to the RC leaders to encourage residents to purchase and use the eco-friendly utensils.

It was not the second Sunday of the month (the second Sunday is the monthly recycling day of Tzu Chi Singapore). It was the third, and there weren’t supposed to have any recycling activity at the void deck of Chai Chee Block 27.

But on that day, 17 Jan, dozens of Tzu Chi volunteers were seen busy collecting, sorting, and bundling recyclables like the week before. Specially invited by the Chai Chee Residents’ Committee (RC), the volunteers were reenacting their usual recycling activity to show Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong how the recycling point is ran and its achievements.

The Singapore Senior Minister was on a neighbourhood walkabout in the Chai Chee community.

Tzu Chi volunteers in the Southeast district have been working on promoting recycling awareness and engaging the residents since the Chai Chee recycling point was established in November 2008.

Although the monthly recycling activity has passed a week ago, leader of the recycling team, Loh Kim Chye, managed to call on the regular residential participants to support the activity. The team initially worried that they will run short of manpower as the Foundation was having training course for certified volunteers at its Pasir Ris HQ the same day but were soon relieved when volunteer cadres and residents appeared early in the morning to help set up the Poster area, “Learn to Sort” area, Sorting area, Eco-enzyme area, Jing Si eco-friendly product stall and etc.

SM Goh and his entourage arrived as scheduled and toured the recycling point, escorted by Brothers Cai Rong Fu and Loh Kim Chye. The Senior Minister marveled when the volunteers showed him the plush blanket made by polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles, which technology was made possible by Taiwan’s Da Ai Technology Co. Ltd He was further amazed that the company is financed by the entrepreneur-based Tzu Chi International Humanitarian Aid Association (TIHAA).

The Senior Minister gasped in admiration, “If this technology could be used globally to produce blankets from recycled PET bottles, it’s certainly going to benefit all mankind.”   

Mr Goh further made suggestion to the RC leaders to encourage residents to purchase and use the eco-friendly utensils; he even went on to propose to have coffee shop and eatery owners to give discounts to customers who take-away with Tzu Chi’s reusable lunchboxes. 

After stopping by for around 20 minutes, Mr Goh left the recycling point with a deep impression. Ms Lee Hui Lin, an officer from the National Environment Agency who came with Mr Goh, too looked forward to working with Tzu Chi in promoting recycling effort to more communities.