7 new textile bins in Tanjong Pagar to encourage recycling of old clothes

Tanjong Pagar has added seven new textile recycling bins as part of efforts to encourage a culture of recycling, said Member of Parliament for Tanjong Pagar GRC Eric Chua on Nov 18 in a video on his Facebook page.

These bins will join over 50 existing bins in Singapore provided by circular fashion initiative CLOOP. The company set up its first textile bins in July 2022, and has since increased the number of bins as part of its goal to reduce fashion overconsumption and waste by keeping apparel circulating within the community.

Unlike the current Bloobox provided by the National Environment Agency which does not allow for textiles to be recycled, the yellow textile bins encourage deposits of clothes, shoes, accessories and household items. 

The items collected are sent to a factory run by Lifeline Clothing to be sorted and processed. After being run through a metal detector, fabrics that are not damaged will go on to be processed for export and sale. 

Fabrics that contain metal or are too damaged for reuse are stripped into fibres and turned into items such as rugs, gloves and industrial cleaning cloths. Shoes will be turned into materials used for playground surfaces.

Those who drop their items at these bins can also earn reward points by downloading the susGain app. They can then redeem rewards at eco-friendly online and physical stores.

The locations of the bins can be found here, along with a short guide on how to package textiles to be recycled.