There is a new community library in Nee Soon Town Council, the first in Singapore made entirely out of upcycled materials.
NSTC Green Community Library opened its doors on Sep. 22 in support of Climate Action Week 2022.
Upcycled furniture and art by the community
One key feature of the space is a set of MRT seats repurposed into a reading bench.
The decommissioned seats were provided by the Land Transport Authority, and transformed with the help of non-profit Ground-Up Initiative (GUI), which ran a mini-workshop at the launch to install the armrests and legs.
The library also has a very rustic look, thanks to the bookshelves made from upcycled wooden crates and pallets built by social enterprise Terra SG.
The books themselves are preloved as well, donated by the town council’s staff members and Nee Soon residents.
On one wall, plastic butterflies decorate the educational posters about sustainability.
These painted butterfly cut-outs were made from upcycled plastic cartons, lovingly designed by 28 students from PCF Sparkletots.
At the launch, Nee Soon resident Priscilla Quek brought her two children to donate books to the community library.
“Most of the books I donated are second hand books I bought for my kids when they were younger. I am glad for this chance for my children to share what were once their treasures with others,” said Quek.
The library can be found at 290 Yishun Street 22.
Preloved books are welcome and here are its opening hours:
- Monday to Friday, 8am to 4:30pm
- Saturday, 8am to 12:30pm.
- The town council has also recently set up a recycling hub at the Nee Soon East Seniors Hub.
- There is a paper recycling machine and a textile recycling bin which accepts clothes, soft toys and shoes.