Government agencies spend millions cleaning up Singapore's public areas

This has to stop
Teh Jen Lee, The New Paper 11 Feb 09;

MR LITTERBUG, if you're caught, you pay a fine of $200.

But do you know that other taxpayers are paying a higher price to clean up your mess?

$37 million, to be precise.

That's the annual cleaning bill of the National Environment Agency (NEA) over the last three years, its spokesman said.

The issue of littering was raised by Minister for Environment and Water Resources (MEWR) Yaacob Ibrahim in Parliament yesterday.

The $37 million is chalked up by just cleaning our roads, pavements, expressways, pedestrian overhead bridges and underpasses, and emptying public litter bins.

It does not include the cost of cleaning public parks, public estates, town centres and state land, as they come under the jurisdiction of other agencies such as PUB and HDB.

Imagine how much higher the figure would be then.

Over the years, NEA has stepped up enforcement efforts against littering - the number of litterbugs caught rose from 4,000 in 2005 to 33,000 last year.

Dr Yaacob said: 'The increase clearly shows that littering remains a concern in Singapore, and we should work harder to tackle it.

'We are mindful of our enforcement limitations, but NEA will continue to focus its enforcement efforts at littering hotspots to achieve maximum effectiveness.'

From 1 Apr, harsher penalties will kick in, Dr Yaacob said. The fines for littering were last revised 10 years ago.

Higher fine

For instance, the composition fine for first-time minor-littering offenders will be raised from $200 to $300.

Dr Yaacob said: 'Apart from sustained enforcement, our penalties must act as effective deterrents.'

He said public areas must be kept clean 'not only to protect public health... (but also) to ensure that Singapore develops sustainably and remains a clean and green city of gardens and water'.

'Each of us must play our part. For instance, while the Government can invest in infrastructure to transform our waterways, residents must keep the waters clean.'

He added that the Government adopts a 'multi-pronged approach' to keeping public areas clean - an 'effective cleaning regime, public engagement, and penalties and enforcement to deter littering behaviour'.

But as the population grows, public cleanliness will become a bigger challenge.

Dr Yaacob said: 'NEA has already committed additional resources to clean up littering hotspot areas such as Little India, Chinatown and Geylang. This cannot continue indefinitely. We must tackle the source of the problem - littering.'

He also announced a new anti-littering campaign for later this year.

'Four decades have passed since the first 'Keep Singapore Clean' campaign was launched by then-Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew,' he said.

'(The) new campaign will be driven by activities involving key stakeholders such as the grassroots, schools, the youth and businesses.'

To better understand the efforts behind the clean-up of litter, The New Paper team followed a cleaning contractor hired by PUB on their litter patrols last Tuesday.

The contractor, Tong Shing, has nine boats and about 20 cleaners dedicated to retrieving trash from the Marina Reservoir alone.

Between 7am and 6pm daily, rain or shine, they pick up trash washed downstream from the drains into the rivers.

Mr See Ban Seng, 55, Tong Shing's cleaning supervisor, said in Mandarin: 'Sometimes we pick up chairs or tables thrown from thepubs and restaurants along the Singapore River.'

More common items include tissue paper, drink cups, cans and bottles.

Mr Noorazman Noor'ain, a PUB engineer in charge of hiring cleaning contractors, said: 'We work with the river taxi operators, asking them to remind passengers not to litter in the river.'

Serious litter: Cans, cups

In case you don't know, items such as cigarette packs, food waste, drink cans, cups and tissue paper are considered 'serious litter'.

An NEA spokesman said: 'Drink cups and drink cans can accumulate water that could lead to mosquito breeding.

'Improperly disposed food waste or wrappers and used tissue papers could lead to fly, cockroach and rodent infestation.

'Larger items like cigarette boxes and newspapers would choke up the drainage system if they are blown or thrown into drains, leading to water stagnation and mosquito-breeding.

'Such items may also provide harbourage for vermin.'