No more neglected areas as NEA takes over public cleaning

AsiaOne 7 Mar 12

SINGAPORE - The National Environmental Agency (NEA) will be taking over the cleaning of all public areas, except for public housing estates, which will remain under the domain of town councils.

Currently, multiple agencies are involved in the cleaning of common public areas, resulting in some areas falling through the cracks.

This is not an optimal arrangement, said Senior Minister of State (Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources) Grace Fu in today's parliamentary session.

Thus, NEA will be integrating the cleaning functions of public areas under a new Department of Public Cleanliness (DPC) within NEA.

The current arrangement sees NEA overseeing the cleaning of public areas such as roads, while water agency PUB takes charge of cleaning drains, the National Parks Board takes care of parks, and the Land Transport Authority cleans footpaths.

All these functions will start being integrated into the new department's domain in phases, beginning April 1, to end by 2016.

The high number of public cleaning contracts, currently at 29, is also to be reduced through contract integration to achieve higher operational efficiencies, Ms Fu said.

The performance of contractors will be supervised through web-based camera systems monitoring litter prone areas, she added.

DPC will also be setting up a call centre for public feedback. Members of the public can call 1800-600-3333 or email cleanliness@nea.gov.sg from April 1 onwards.

Ms Fu added that cleaning firms may have to be licensed in the future, as it would set minimum standards that companies must adhere to.

At the moment, NEA has a voluntary accreditation scheme. The Government has said it awards cleaning jobs to accredited companies as an example.

NEA to set up public cleanliness dept
Channel NewsAsia 6 Mar 12;

SINGAPORE: A new Department of Public Cleanliness (DPC) will be set up within the National Environment Agency, aimed at integrating the cleaning functions of public areas. This will be done in phases from April 1, 2012.

Senior Minister of State for Environment and Water Resources, Grace Fu, said the department is set up to better manage cleaning contracts, improve service standards and to improve responsiveness to public feedback.

Ms Fu said: "The DPC will ensure public areas are well-cleaned, and progressively integrate existing contracts to achieve higher operational efficiencies. It will also improve on the supervision of contractors' performance by, for example, using web-based remote camera systems to monitor litter-prone places."

A one-stop call centre will be set up within the DPC to provide a single point of contact on issues pertaining to public cleanliness.

From April 1, 2012, the public can give their feedback via the new hotline 1800-600-3333 or email cleanliness@nea.gov.sg.