From personal experience, there is an absence of recycling social norm locally and this might be attributed to the novelty of the NRP.
The NRP is a relatively new initiative that dated back to 2001, to introduce households to recycling and encourage the habitual recycling behavior. Since its introduction, the recycling practices had been revamped several times. Frequent changes might pose difficulty for residents to maintain or even pick up the recycling habit.
For instance, the NRP started recycling initiatives by introducing fortnightly door-to-door collection of recyclables in recycling bags. However, this practice was eventually phased out due to several issues. Residents did not favour keeping recyclables for 2 weeks, recycling bags and recyclables from the bag were pilfered, and it was a labour-intensive procedure. From 2007 onwards, recycling bins were introduced to resolve the recycling bag related problems. However, the appearance of recycling bins was inconsistent across estates. This might deter visual recognition and functional association.
With the gradual changes in recycling practices and inconsistent appearance of the recycling bin, it might take some time for residents to adapt to them. More awareness needs to be raised on recycling practices before recycling can be turned into habits and integrated social norms.