Phase out plastic bags

Straits Times Forum 3 Oct 11;

HUMAN nature being what it is, people will not change their bad habits easily ("New council rolls up sleeves for dirty job"; last Wednesday).

The Government must intervene more and eliminate some of the root causes of littering.

One immediate measure could be phasing out plastic bags and introducing a law that bans the use of plastic bags.

You only have to stand in the supermarket aisles to notice the bewildering number of plastic bags that are used up every minute. Yet the solution is so simple: use reusable bags.

It is equally confounding how much unnecessary waste is created daily at food centres and wet markets. I frequent the Ghim Moh and Tiong Bahru centres regularly and I am perplexed by the senseless use of plastic bags, cups and styrofoam plates, and particularly the plastic bag drink vessels with draw string and straw, the most environmentally hazardous items that litter this island and invariably end up in the ocean.

Create a platform to implement environmentally safe, biodegradable alternatives. There are now affordable, competitive products available such as corn, sugar cane and plantation pulp products.

The Government could give out free, reusable bags to every person in Singapore and this would be more cost-effective than collecting and disposing of the offending plastic items.

Curtis Marsh

A socially ingrained problem?
Straits Times Forum 3 Oct 11;

I HEAVED a sigh of relief on reading last Wednesday's report ('New council rolls up sleeves for dirty job'). The problem of public litter and foul, unequipped toilets is rampant.

It is not uncommon for some toilets in shopping malls and even public buildings to lack basic amenities.

Three years ago, I saw a tourist having a horrible time in a Chinatown mall when he used the toilet and found to his consternation that there was no toilet paper. As of two weeks ago, this mall continued to lack toilet rolls in its men's facilities - a situation that can be noticed in many other places across the city.

At the HDB Hub, there is no toilet paper provided in the men's toilet near the basement foodcourt - just a machine that sells you a short strip for 20 cents.

My efforts to stop rubbish dumping by various businesses in the residential estates of Toa Payoh Central had to involve taking dozens of photos as evidence and even the carting of the actual rubbish bags to get the attention of the town council.

In one recent case, it took the e-mailing of over a month's work of photographs of rubbish in front of a store taken nightly before that business was made to cease attracting rats with its litter.

A nearby building still has 30 rubbish bags strewn in front of its stores every morning - and grassroots members living in that building are apparently at ease with the situation.

The problem seems to be socially ingrained.

Eric J. Brooks

Underlying issue - a deficit of kindness
Straits Times Forum 3 Oct 11;

THE hygiene issue aside ('New council rolls up sleeves for dirty job'; last Wednesday), the problem of littering and dirty toilets points to an underlying issue - a deficit of kindness.

This is a pattern of inconsiderate behaviour, where individuals litter out of convenience, without a thought or care as to who they are hurting through their actions.

Part of the culture of kindness are the values of gratitude, respect and consideration.

If we are considerate of the needs and feelings of others, if we have respect for the environment and are grateful to those who help keep our communal living spaces clean, we will certainly take the extra effort to put our waste in the proper place.

The National Environment Agency's (NEA) findings last year, that 62.6 per cent of Singaporeans would not litter as it was not a kind thing to do, are uncannily similar to that of the Singapore Kindness Movement's Graciousness Index.

In NEA's study, only one in four would persist in littering and one in a hundred would continue regardless of the consequences, which is a marked improvement from earlier studies.

However, that such inconsiderate behaviour still exists is a reminder that we must remain vigilant and committed to public education and the promotion of kindness in Singapore.

We certainly need to inspire more collective ownership of the problem and the need to solve it.

Working together, we will leave a cleaner, greener and kinder Singapore for generations to follow.

Dr William Wan
General Secretary
Singapore Kindness Movement Secretariat