Study shows males in 17 to 29 age group racked up most fines last year
Victoria Vaughan, Straits Times 29 Apr 10;
TEENAGE boys and men aged from 17 to 29 are the biggest culprits when it comes to littering in parks - they make up 44 per cent of those fined last year for thoughtless disposal of rubbish.
Men aged 30 to 40 are the next most guilty group, accounting for 28 per cent of offenders. On the whole, men exceeded women by far in summonses for littering: Of the $2 million dished out in fines last year, 85 per cent was levied on men.
Altogether, 8,300 fines were meted out last year, nearly twice the 4,500 in the previous year. National Parks Board (NParks) director Nigel Goh said the jump came from a step-up in enforcement, not a worsening of the littering problem.
The statistics from NParks, the custodian of the more than 50 parks and four nature reserves here, are the result of a study that for the first time examined littering culprits by gender and age.
Dr Goh said: 'It's not older people who are less educated who are littering; it's actually the young people. We are not sure why they are littering more.'
Mr Howard Shaw, director of the Singapore Environment Council, said: 'Cigarettes are a large part of litter and that's probably why the statistics point to young men... A cigarette butt is not something you put in your pocket, and its small size makes it likely that people would drop it on the ground instead of carrying it to a bin.'
He suggested that, on top of a health warning, cigarette packs should also carry a pro-environment message.
Besides butts, the rubbish commonly left behind in parks is made up of barbecue leftovers, food wrappers, tissue paper and plastic bags. At East Coast Park, about 200 tonnes of rubbish are picked up every month - the most among parks here - and nearly two in five fines are issued there.
Only 3 per cent of fines are issued at the Central Catchment Nature Reserve. The most common litter there: discarded soles of sports shoes.
NParks has launched an anti-littering drive with a mascot and the tagline: 'Love Green: Just Bin It!'
A competition to find the best YouTube video with an anti-littering message is also on. Citizens and residents here have until June 27 to upload entries, each clip being between 30 seconds and two minutes long.
The top prize is $10,000 and the $20,000 prize purse comes from littering fines collected. Winners will be chosen by public vote, to take place between June 30 and July 20.
To enter the competition, visit www.nparks.gov.sg/justbinit
Under the anti-littering drive, a big bin will be parked at one of the barbecue pits in East Coast Park for two months to test its effectiveness against the problem of larger bags of rubbish being left outside existing bins.
The National Environment Agency will launch a nationwide anti-littering campaign in June.
Over 8,300 fines slapped on park litterbugs, mostly men
Lynda Hong Channel NewsAsia 28 Apr 10;
SINGAPORE: Over 8,300 fines were issued last year to litterbugs in parks.
This number is nearly double that of about 4,800 for 2008.
Close to 40 per cent of the fines were for littering offences committed at East Coast Park, the largest park in Singapore with over seven million visits a year.
The two biggest groups of culprits are aged from 17 to 29 years, and from 30 to 40 years.
The majority of offenders are men.
Common litter found in parks include cigarette butts, rubbish left at barbecue pits, food wrappers, tissue paper and plastic bags.
- CNA/jy
