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  The Straits Times Forum 4 Sep 06
12-year-old students 'not spared atrocities of litterbugs'
Letter from P. Mirnalini (Ms)

The Straits Times 20 Aug 06
We are becoming a Garbage City
by Sarah Ng

EUNOS resident Tan Jock Liane rises early to practise qigong at a neighbourhood basketball court, only to find it strewn with cigarette butts, tissue paper and empty drink cans - rubbish dumped overnight by litterbugs.

The daily sight which greets the housewife and her friends - before the cleaners arrive at 6am - reflects the persistent littering problem that Singapore faces. Said Madam Tan, 69: 'I have lived here for 20 years and this is what I see every morning. The cleaners will sweep the place clean, but the next morning, it's rubbish everywhere again. 'Without our cleaners, I think Singapore would have become a garbage city.'

Individuals like Madam Tan, cleaners and the town councils say that, despite 38 years of campaigns, fines and shaming, Singaporeans are still a filthy lot.

Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Yaacob Ibrahim made this observation at the launch of the Singapore Litter-Free campaign in June, saying there had been an increase in littering.

It was reiterated by the National Environment Agency's (NEA) chief executive, Mr Lee Yuen Hee. He told The Sunday Times littering was still a problem in certain areas, especially the crowded places like hawker centres, bus interchanges and shopping centres. 'My own personal view is that it is getting worse,' he said.

Town councils say that while most Singaporeans are socially responsible, the work of the recalcitrant minority does create an eyesore.

Despite the town councils' regular reminders via mailers, posters and road shows asking residents to keep their neighbourhoods clean, littering remains a big problem.

Said Aljunied Town Council general manager Jeffrey Chua: 'Our cleaners have not seen a lower amount of work in the last three years. Sometimes, they have to sweep more than the usual two times a day.'

A spokesman from Bishan-Toa Payoh Town Council reckons the problem may be worsening - an observation shared by SembCorp Environmental Management. The market leader in conservancy services to more than 1,000 Housing Board blocks said its cleaners had noticed more estate litter.

When The Sunday Times visited Eunos Crescent at 5.30am on Thursday, before the cleaners started their shift, several void decks and lift lobbies were littered with junk mail, empty cigarette packets and newspapers.

But the dirtiest spots were behind the blocks - the areas that people's kitchen windows overlook. They were strewn with tissue paper, orange peel and egg shells, which cleaners said were thrown out of the windows. Other trash included empty drink packets and food containers, plastic bags and rags.

It was a similar sight in Toa Payoh Lorong 1. Said cleaning supervisor Nazmul Abdul Satter, 37, who is in charge of 15 blocks there: 'One hour after we sweep the place, we see rubbish again. We are used to it already. We just clean again.'

Garbage is also making its way from the housing estates to the city areas such as Orchard Road, where bus stops, walkways and other public areas are littered with empty paper cups, tissue paper and cigarette butts.

The NEA spends nearly $110 million a year cleaning the housing estates, hawker centres and public areas. If people do their part to keep the country clean, said Mr Lee, the money could go to other areas more in need.

In the battle against littering, one question remains: Why is it that people can keep their homes clean but not the common areas?

As cleaner Zabidah Ibrahim, 52, who works in Eunos Crescent, said: 'I just do not understand...It's also part of where they live, right?'

Offering an explanation, Mr Charles Chong, chairman of the Government Parliamentary Committee for National Development and the Environment, said people may feel they have the right to litter since they are paying service and conservancy charges.

The problem could also be the ironic result of having efficient cleaners, he added. 'The more efficient we are at cleaning up after people, the less urgent they see the need to change their habits.'

Singapore Environment Council (SEC) senior manager Yatin Premchand blames it on sloth, while sociologist Tan Ern Ser says it is because people have no sense of ownership of their living environment, and hence no pride in keeping their estates clean.

The NEA may have a better idea of why people litter once it completes a three-month study in October.

Meanwhile, the battle against litterbugs continues to hinge on public education and punishment - fines of up to $5,000 and corrective work orders for up to 12 hours of public clean-up work for repeat offenders.

Said Dr Tan: 'We need a combination of education, encouragement, campaigns and fines. It would be more effective for people to internalise civic consciousness and take pride in their neighbourhood, rather than be constrained by fear of punishment.'

Aljunied Town Council is taking an additional step. It has started sending photographs of dirty blocks to the residents to remind them of the impact of littering, said council chairman and Member of Parliament Cynthia Phua.

More effort should also go into explaining the serious implications of littering, said the SEC's Mr Premchand. Litter attracts pests such as rats and cockroaches, and can also provide a place for mosquitoes to breed. It can also pollute reservoirs and kill marine life, he said.

'The food scraps or empty bottles one tosses away carelessly could end up as a bigger problem than mere unsightliness.'

Additional reporting by Meng Yew Choong and Adeline Chia

The Straits Times Forum 4 Sep 06
Sep 4, 2006 12-year-old students 'not spared atrocities of litterbugs'
Letter from P. Mirnalini (Ms)

I REFER to the article, 'Warning! Singapore is becoming a garbage city' (ST, Aug 20).

As 12-year-old students, my friends and I are not spared from the atrocities of litterbugs. Every day, we go to school only to be greeted by the routine morning lecture on keeping the school clean. Even then, our classrooms, canteen, staircases and toilets are littered with tissue paper, scarps of foolscap, bits of pencil shavings or lead, and the biggest culprit, empty plastic water bottles.

The standard lectures don't seem to be working, do they? Is it enough if just a handful of us want to keep the city clean? Leave the city. Look at our schools.

If children litter at school, how can we expect them, the leaders of tomorrow, to keep the city clean?

Why do children litter? The biggest reason is that children are not taught well enough. They are not responsible enough. They don't care if Singapore becomes a wasteland. They don't really mind if foreigners throw rubbish at our bus stops and in our streets.

Now, we face a big problem. With the International Monetary Fund-World Bank meetings happening, how are we going to clean up our city by the time all the foreigners come over here.

Isn't it the same as when you have a visitor coming over to your home? You clean your house, tidy it, and maybe even add minor decorations. No one seems to be bothered to clean up our island home.

We have to work fast. How? It's easier to build children than repair adults.

Children need to know what it is like to pick up litter others carelessly chuck aside. They should be made to pick up litter around their neighbourhood as part of their National Education (NE). During NE lessons, children can discuss with their teachers what can be done to deter people from littering. After all, National Education is about loving Singapore and if we love Singapore, we'll definitely want to keep it clean, right?
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