Govt stepping up enforcement efforts against littering, raising cleanliness standards

Monica Kotwani Channel NewsAsia 12 Mar 13;

SINGAPORE: The government is stepping up enforcement and surveillance in public areas, in a bid to deter the recalcitrant minority from littering, and will also raise standards of the cleaning and food industry.

Second Minister for Environment and Water Resources, Grace Fu said this in her Ministry's Committee of Supply debate speech on Tuesday.

Littering incidents around neighbourhoods could decrease as the National Environment Agency (NEA) conducts an enforcement blitz against litterbugs.

This includes deploying officers in littering hotspots and working with the police to tap on their surveillance cameras.

All these mean an increase of enforcement man-hours by 50 per cent - from 23,600 to 34,600.

Ms Fu said her ministry is targeting repeat offenders.

In addition to the composition fines, recalcitrant offenders can be sent to court where they can be fined up to S$1,000 for the first conviction and/or get a Corrective Work Order requiring them to clean public areas for up to 12 hours.

She said: "We are considering increasing the maximum court fine for recalcitrant offenders to S$2,000 for the first court conviction, S$4,000 for the second conviction and S$10,000 for the third and subsequent convictions. In short, we will not tolerate littering and cannot rely solely on cleaners to keep Singapore clean. We need everyone to help us make the transition from being a 'cleaned' city to a 'clean' one."

NEA also introduced the Enhanced Clean Mark Accreditation Scheme in November last year, in a bid to encourage some 900 cleaning companies to raise standards and employment conditions.

From April, the government will only engage the services of accredited companies for new tenders. Ms Fu said since it was introduced, 55 companies have submitted applications, and 10 have been accredited.

The ministry will also propose that cleaning companies will have to apply for licences in order to operate from next year, and to do so, they will need to incorporate mandatory training courses, and progressive wage models for their cleaners.

She said: "My ministry is ready to table a Bill later this year to introduce the mandatory licensing of all cleaning companies in 2014. By improving the productivity and standards of the industry, we hope to uplift the jobs of 50,000 resident cleaners that we have. With better training and employment conditions, our cleaners can look forward to better lives."

Ms Fu noted that the food catering industry has also been identified as having a high risk of food-poisoning incidents.

She said: "In 2012, food caterers had the highest food poisoning incidence rate among all types of food outlets. In addition, the average number of people affected per food poisoning incident was the highest for food caterers."

So from June 2014, food catering companies will have to submit a Food Safety Management System plan upon being issued a licence.

Existing caterers renewing their licence will need to submit the plan three months before their renewal dates.

Ms Fu said this will include ensuring food handlers observe good food and personal hygiene and that they do not report to work when ill.

- CNA/ck

Govt mulls harsher littering penalties
Channel NewsAsia 12 Mar 13;

SINGAPORE: The government is considering harsher penalties for litterbugs.

The maximum fine for recalcitrant offenders may be raised to S$10,000, up from the current S$1,000.

Giving this update in Parliament, Second Minister for Environment and Water Resources Grace Fu said the National Environment Agency will increase enforcement hours by about 50 per cent.

More plain-clothes officers will also deployed at littering hotspots.

However, Ms Fu stressed that the enforcement and penalty system is only part of the solution.

She said: "We need the public's support for more effective surveillance, enforcement and deterrence. Through greater community involvement, we can build a strong sense of social pressure against littering.

"Through effective and enhanced enforcement, we can send a strong message that it is better to dispose of your litter properly.

"In short, we will not tolerate littering and cannot rely solely on cleaners to keep Singapore clean. We need everyone to help us make the transition from being a 'cleaned' city to a 'clean' one."

- CNA/xq/al

Fines may be doubled to deter littering
Amanda Lee Today Online 13 Mar 13;

SINGAPORE — Maximum court fines for recalcitrant littering offenders may be doubled, as part of efforts to deter littering, said Second Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Grace Fu.

And to improve the standards of cleaning companies and the jobs of cleaners, the ministry will, later this year, table a Bill to introduce the mandatory licensing of all cleaning companies come next year.

Speaking during the Committee of Supply debate yesterday, Ms Fu said that, currently, on top of the composition fines, recalcitrant offenders can be fined up to S$1,000 for the first conviction in court or slapped with a Corrective Work Order requiring them to clean public areas for up to a maximum of 12 hours, or both.

This could be increased to S$2,000 for the first conviction, S$4,000 for the second and S$10,000 for the third and subsequent convictions.

Despite efforts to clamp down on littering, the amount of feedback received on it has been increasing, said Ms Fu.

The number of littering offences fell from 23,898 in 2010 to 8,195 last year, but the number of complaints has risen from 3,439 in 2010 to 4,375 last year, “reflecting greater awareness and intolerance towards litterbugs”, the National Environment Agency (NEA) said.

Hence, surveillance and enforcement efforts will be enhanced. The NEA will increase its enforcement hours by about 50 per cent, from 24,000 man-hours to 35,000 man-hours a month.

The ministry is currently piloting the use of surveillance cameras with video analytic capabilities to monitor littering and working with the police to tap their surveillance cameras — including those to be installed at 10,000 public housing blocks and multi-storey car parks.

It will also “explore” further extensions of the ban on smoking and clearer designation of smoking areas, Ms Fu added.

As for the mandatory licensing of all cleaning companies, Ms Fu said all companies would have to meet the standards before being able to operate, and must provide training courses and a progressive wage model for their cleaners.

Ms Fu also gave an update on efforts to integrate cleaning contracts among government agencies. Since its formation in April last year, the Department of Public Cleanliness has taken over the cleaning functions of areas like footpaths and roads.

Integrated contracts for the cleaning of expressways will be called next month, while contracts for cleaning of public areas including roads, footpaths, drains, vacant lands and parks within a defined area will be awarded from next year, she said.

Meanwhile, a Singapore Standard on Food Safety Management is being developed to improve the standard of food hygiene in Singapore and, from June next year, newly-licensed caterers will have to submit a Food Safety Management System (FSMS) plan within three months of being issued a licence. Existing licensed caterers will be required to submit an FSMS plan three months before the renewal of their licence.

Volunteers empowered to catch litterbugs: Grace Fu
Today Online 13 Mar 13;

SINGAPORE — Trained volunteers will be empowered to take down litterbugs’ particulars, the Second Minister for the Ministry of Environment and Water Resources (MEWR) said in Parliament today.

Ms Grace Fu also said that her ministry is ready to table a Bill to make the licensing of all cleaning companies mandatory next year.

RAISING STANDARDS, CATCHING LITTERBUGS

Ms Fu announced that the Ministry of Environment and Water Resources (MEWR) will make the licensing of all cleaning companies mandatory from next year, as part of its push to transform the industry by “improving its productivity and standards”.

“This will set the standards that all cleaning companies must meet before they can operate,” she said. “The key licensing requirements include mandatory training courses and a progressive wage model for the cleaners.”

Ms Fu also said that trained volunteers will soon be empowered to take down litterbugs’ particulars, revealing that the National Environment Agency (NEA) has just completed the training of the first batch of 28 volunteers from groups such as the Singapore Environment Council, the Waterways Watch Singapore and the Cat Welfare Society.

Ms Fu said that these volunteers will be empowered to act on the behalf of the NEA to “educate litterbugs to pick up their own litter and record the offenders’ particulars for enforcement when offenders refuse to do so”.

Other anti-littering initiatives include a reboot of the Keep Singapore Clean Movement, launched by the Public Hygiene Council together with the Singapore Kindness Movement.

Ms Fu said that the NEA is to increase anti-littering enforcement hours by 50 per cent, from 24,000 to 35,000 man-hours per month. Fines for recalcitrant litterbugs might be increased from S$1,000 to S$2,000 the first conviction in court, and up to S$10,000 for third and subsequent convictions.

SECOND-HAND SMOKE, FOOD STANDARDS

Addressing concerns over second-hand smoke, Ms Fu said that over 3,000 advisories have been handed out to smokers since the smoking ban was extended on Jan 15 to include sheltered linkways and walkways, overhead pedestrian bridges and a 5m-radius around public bus shelters.

“Our officers and ambassadors are going around the new smoking prohibited areas to educate smokers about the new rules. This is to give smokers time to understand and adjust to the new law,” Ms Fu said.

Revealing that the highest food poisoning rate among all types of food outlets were caterers, Ms Fu said that the NEA is requiring caterers to adhere to a new Food Safety Management System (FSMS). All new applicants for catering licences will be required to submit a FSMS plan within the first three months of the issuance of their licence, starting June 1, 2014.

NEA to step up action against littering
Grace Chua Straits Times 13 Mar 13;

THE National Environment Agency (NEA) will step up enforcement efforts to combat littering but community action is still needed, said Second Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Grace Fu yesterday.

Responding to MPs' queries on littering and public cleanliness, Ms Fu said more NEA enforcement officers will patrol over a longer period of time, with their time spent out and about increasing from 24,000 man-hours a month to 35,000.

There will also be more surveillance cameras installed at littering hot spots.

For example, a pilot scheme trains video cameras on Jiak Kim Bridge and McCallum Street. These send the NEA alerts when litter is detected.

And 10 high-rise litterbugs have been caught on camera since the NEA started monitoring apartment blocks on camera in 2011.

Higher penalties for littering are also being considered, said Ms Fu.

Now, the maximum court fine for recalcitrant offenders is $1,000 for the first conviction, $2,000 for the second and $5,000 for the third, but these could all double.

But she added: 'We need everyone to help us make the transition from being a 'cleaned' city to a 'clean' one', by fostering stronger anti-littering social norms, starting community efforts in places like Bishan, Nee Soon South and Bedok to encourage residents to pick up litter, and training volunteers to reach out to those they see littering.

Meanwhile, to manage Singapore's waste, recycling schemes will be piloted, the second phase of Semakau Landfill developed and the Deep Tunnel Sewerage System Phase 2 built, said Environment and Water Resources Minister Vivian Balakrishnan.

For instance, early data from dual-refuse and recycling chutes at some new HDB flats shows these may increase recycling rates, he said.

Replying to Nominated MP Faizah Jamal's query on how projected population increases might affect the Semakau Landfill, he said work would start on the second phase of the offshore landfill next January and be completed in early 2015.

'We're not going to run out of space,' he said.

The landfill can meet Singapore's waste disposal needs till 2035 and its first phase is set to be filled to ground level by 2016.

Singapore is also building a new incineration plant and tapping the energy it produces by burning waste, Dr Balakrishnan said, while work will start on Phase 2 of the Deep Tunnel Sewerage System.

The 18km-long tunnel will run under western Singapore to channel used water to an upcoming water reclamation plant in Tuas.

The first phase, at 48km, was completed at the cost of $3.65 billion in 2008 and runs from Kranji to Changi.