7/30/2013

The Singapore recycling formula

One outstanding achievement of this city that has been overlooked by the rest of the world is its recycling formula. No, I am not talking about pulling down good buildings only to rebuild them, or scrapping cars that were in good working conditions and less than 10 years old. These are very wasteful things to do and we failed miserably in both areas. Our successful recycling process is not about little old people picking up drink cans or carton boxes or encouraging people not to use plastic bags.
 

The most successful recycling effort is the recycling human resources into the economy. We are making practically everyone that is economically active into the workforce. Mothers are encouraged to work to contribute to the economy too. Motherhood, raising children and providing a cosy and warm home for the family is secondary. Every adult is usefully employed. There is no waste.
 

What is more is that the work life of the adults has been extended to beyond 70 or 80. Many oldies that would normally be out of the workforce, retired by 55 or 60, are now recycled into the economy to be gainfully employed. Soon everyone will likely to be working till 80 or 90 years old.
 

This recycling of the oldies have extended the useful economic lifespan of the people by 30 to 40 years, which means that the people have practically made themselves useful for double the time they used to be. Or the workforce is actually doubled in a way. And if we include the normally economically inactive womenfolk, the recycling is even more successful.
 

Isn’ t this a great achievement? We never waste our people. Some are squeezed and squeezed to get every drop of juice from them. Some are so talented that it would be a waste to put them away. So they are reused and reapplied to share their talents and experience for the good of the country and its people, I supposed.
 

PS, We are even recycling the rejects from New York and London and all the Third World countries.

10 comments:

  1. From the title, I thought you meant how the leaders keep recycling excuses for all the lapses and blow-ups that have been occurring with rapid frequency.

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  2. What you call "recycling", I call "reinvention". No one is expected to work for free. Everyone gets paid.

    I think that it is AWESOME to be 70 or 80 and still be employable. I think this a salute to human dignity and it gives the oldies a feeling of WORTH. For me it is far better than being dependent on the state in the so-called "developed" Western demo-crazies -- counting the pennies until the next state pension cheque arrives. That is UNDIGNIFIED. It makes seniors feel worthLESS -- like beggars.

    Personal responsibility ==> having a life with PURPOSE which you can back up objectively, by FACT.

    >> Soon everyone will likely to be working till 80 or 90 years old.

    If you don't have to -- then good for you. If you have to, then count your lucky stars that you live in a place which gives you OPTIONS.

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  3. Please lah, every get paid for working? Talking through you arse. Heard of getting paid in the millions for not working?

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    Replies
    1. Matilah not too familiar with recycle materials lah.
      Some material cannot be recycled but function as showpiece like unusable curios but fetch ridiculous amount like priceless antique.
      Oldhorse explains it most meaningfully below.

      Delete
  4. When I think of recycling I think of unwanted waste being converted to some thing of use instead of just throwing the waste away and clutter up the environment. Just extending the working life of an oldie is not recycling. You just extended his misery for a longer period.The exception are some of our leaders who continue to draw their fat pay after receiving their fat pension with little work to do.This group old oldie I call par si boh chow.Definitely not recycling.

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  5. and the biggest group is the 1,000,000 recycled rejects from china. latest news some already doing karang gunny work. sinkies not happy with that even. and the master of the universe recycled reject will be celebrating his 90th birthday soon.

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  6. @ July 30, 2013 1:33 pm
    "Heard of getting paid in the millions for not working?"

    People who live in the Istana?

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  7. Re-cycling used men and material and re-labeling them from PM to SM to MM to ESM, etc., etc.? And paying them more in the process.

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  8. Some materials are simply not recyclable,
    they just have to end up as ashes, dust and dirt.
    If preserve chemically, they used up space, need maintenance, could be eye sores or even heartaches to beholders.
    Dump them into the incinerator.
    Not worth recycling them, wasting money and time for nothing.

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  9. Not sure the intent of the post. A job is a job.
    The problem is the high living cost,not why elderly are involved in the trade.

    Looking around the world now,
    many countries are starting to cut down pensions. What can one expect.. not many
    can live without pay for more than few years.

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