Caring For The Environment: Recycling
In November 1991, together the Ministry of the
Environment to initiate an island-wide recycling
movement in Singapore, BP had, as part of its CSR,
set up waste recycling centres at all of its forty
service stations plus ten designated public areas
near bus terminals, car parks and food centres.
To encourage motorists and the public to dispose
of waste paper and drink cans at the recycling
centres at BP service station sites, BP offered cans
of F&N Ice Mountain water and packs of 4 AA-size
GP Greencells (0% mercury) as prizes. All proceeds
from the sale of recyclable waste in the project
was donated by BP to the National Parks Board
for the production of a booklet on managing pests
and diseases for home gardeners.
Management conducted on 8 June for ENV officials
and academicians by BP Group’s Senior Advisor
– Ecology, Dr. Charlotte Grezo from the UK. In
her talk, she emphasised BP’s commitment to
protecting the environment and said that
BP actively encourages the adoption of the
Environment Protection Management culture in
all its many activities worldwide.
BP also organised Singapore’s first flea market
using recycled items on 7 November 1993 at Mei
Chin Secondary School, involving more than
30,000 items such as toys, books, comics, furniture,
clothes and plants. The event was estimated to
have raised $10,000 for the Brickworks CC
Building Fund and charity. “With this flea market,
we extended the concept of recycling to include
reusable items from the homes of Singaporeans,”
said BP Singapore’s Executive Director Dr. Wu
Shen Kong in 1993.
Mr. Gog Chee Wee, MP for Boon Lay and Deputy
Secretary-General of NTUC in 1991, said in his
address at the project launch that he hoped to
see “the emergence of a new lifestyle among
Singaporeans who think global and act responsibly
to protect the environment,” adding that more
organisations and individuals should come forward
“to stoke the engine of change towards a better
environment, not only for ourselves but for our
future generations.”
In 1995, in support of the International Year of the
Family and the Singapore Clean & Green Week,
BP decided to expand the concept nationwide
with a national collection contest. A grand total of
300,000 items were deposited. Five flea markets –
Bishan Park, Clementi and Queenstown community
centres, Alexandra Hill Primary and Fairfield
Secondary Schools – were held simultaneously
on 6 November. In all, there were 40,000 visitors
and $30,000 were raised for six charities.
By 1993/94, BP further extended the project to
eleven more schools and eight more MRT stations.
The Bins at the various MRT stations were presented
by BP to the Ministry of the Environment (ENV)
in conjunction with a talk on Environment Protection
Extracted from: Archives 1990 - 1995
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