Samantha Boh MyPaper AsiaOne 10 Mar 14;
Last year, 9,346 tickets were issued for littering offences, down from 11,131 in 2011, and a slight increase from 8,195 in 2012. In 2010, 23,898 tickets were issued. In 2009, the number was 41,392.
The National Environment Agency (NEA) has stepped up enforcement hours by 50 per cent since May last year. NEA's community volunteer scheme has also helped bring littering down.
Under this programme, which started in January last year, 127 volunteers from non-governmental organisations, such as the Cat Welfare Society, Singapore Environment Council (SEC) and Singapore Kindness Movement, have the power to ask offenders to pick up and bin their rubbish. If they refuse, the volunteers can take down their particulars and give these to the NEA.
As of January this year, the volunteers successfully engaged 321 litterbugs, persuading them to bin their trash. Only one was taken to task for being uncooperative and, being a repeat offender, he was given a court fine of $500 and three hours of Corrective Work Order, said the NEA.
The Government is also mulling over a plan to enlist and train members of the public and give them the same warrant cards as NEA enforcement officers. This means they would have the power to impose fines on offenders on the spot.
SEC's executive director, Mr Jose Raymond, said that, while he supports the programme, it currently "lacks bite without the ability to impose fines".
"If they are just there to put social pressure and to encourage, over time the litterbugs will realise that they can't do much," he said.
He would like to see volunteers in the scheme who police their own neighbourhoods. A block ambassador, for instance, could be appointed for a block of flats.
"If the community gets involved more, they can ensure they have clean surroundings where they live," he said.
First-time littering offenders face a $300 composition fine. Recalcitrant litterbugs can face court fines of up to $2,000 for their first conviction, $4,000 for their second, and $10,000 for third and subsequent convictions.
Bright spots in anti-litter battle
Samantha Boh MyPaper AsiaOne 10 Mar 14;
SINGAPORE - Not long ago, the task of keeping Sentosa clean was down to 70 contract cleaners hired by the management.
Now, an army of about 50 staff members of businesses on the island also chip in for free to pick rubbish once every two months.
As a result, the island has graduated from being labelled as a litter "hot spot" by the Public Hygiene Council (PHC) to a "bright spot", or model example of cleanliness.
Sentosa island is just one of 160 litter hot spots that the PHC has converted into bright spots, in 11/2 years since September 2012, when it embarked on this project.
Other recent conversions include smaller localised bright spots like Dunman High School and Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, as well as Nee Soon South.
A litter hot spot is a problem area with incidences of littering, or one where littering is likely. It is converted into a bright spot normally after it is adopted by a civic group - like residents that band together or even a Community Development Council that takes charge of efforts to reduce littering in the area. These could include regular litter-picking sessions or the spreading of anti-litter messages.
The PHC aims to convert at least another 100 community places into bright spots by the end of this year.
The National Environment Agency (NEA) said that the aim is to get the community involved and to foster a sense of ownership.
"This programme aims to establish norms for good personal and public hygiene, so that everyone will embrace and advocate them as a way of life," said NEA, which added that the PHC is working with Yishun Pond, Katong, Sembawang-Nee Soon town, Punggol Waterway and Sentosa to share and replicate litter-free practices.
This move is one in the right direction, said experts interviewed.
Such initiatives, they pointed out, are not meant to take the place of hired cleaners but, rather, are an attempt to solve the problem at its source.
Mr Tay Lai Hock, chief of the Ground-Up Initiative, a non-profit organisation that connects people back to nature, told MyPaper: "It is a good idea because if people clean up their own space, they will inculcate a sense of ownership."
However, he warned that there is a risk that few will stay committed, resulting in just a small pool of regular volunteers in the long run. "To keep it going, the organisers could ensure that one member of each household participates, for instance," said Mr Tay.
Mr Mohamad Aidi Mohd Lahab, a staff volunteer on Sentosa, said he participated to understand what cleaners go through each day. He said he now has a new-found respect for them, after having to bend down and stand up to pick litter along the beach.
The beach-patrol officer, who is in his 50s, said it is imperative for Sentosa staff to take the lead. "Sentosa has always been a home to me and the sense of ownership to keep the island clean is strong," he said.
