Hong Kah North residents to compete in biannual 'Litter-Free Block' competition

Channel News Asia 13 Jan 08;

SINGAPORE: Hong Kah North residents will get even more serious about anti-littering this year with an inter-block competition, to pick the cleanest blocks.

This was announced on Sunday at a recycling exercise which is part of South West Community Development Council’s (CDC) annual event called "Trash for Groceries".

Amidst a carnival atmosphere, residents brought in items for recycling and exchanged them for groceries.

In a move to make sure the message sticks, residents in each of the eight RCs will be encouraged to nominate three of its cleanest blocks, twice this year, in May and October, under the pilot 'Litter-Free Block' competition.

Judges made up of residents and CDC officials, will then declare the winners in June and November and residents in the winning blocks will take home bread and eggs.

Those with innovative anti-littering ideas can also compete in the 'Most Constructive Idea Award'.

Organisers hope these programmes will help the National Environment Agency's aim to lower the rate of littering in Singapore, which reached an all-time high in 2007.

NEA said there were 19,252 litterbugs caught between January and November in 2007, which is more than triple the 6,002 culprits caught in the same period in 2006.

Dr Amy Khor, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for the Ministry of Environment and Water Resources said: “The NEA will continue with the intensive education efforts to create awareness among residents about keeping the environment clean and litter-free, as well as its stepped-up enforcement efforts to act as a deterrent among recalcitrant litterbugs." -CNA/vm