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  Straits Times Forum 12 Dec 06
Sense of environmental ownership will curb littering
Reply from S. Satish Appoo Director Environmental Health Department National Environment Agency

Straits Times Forum 12 Dec 06
Singaporeans can learn from civic-minded Japanese
Letter from Wang Hui Ling (Miss)

Today Online 12 Dec 06
Cleaning up is not hard to do
'Impeccably clean' image seems false
Learn to depend less on cleaners A 'table-training' campaign may help
Letter from Koji Noda
Letter from Rick Lim Say Kiong
Letter from Lin Peixin

I refer to your report, "We're just brats, I guess ... " (Dec 9-10).

I thought not clearing the mess you make at fastfood joints was a customary practice here that everybody took seriously — by which I mean that any cleaning up by customers is an extraordinary act to be avoided.

I, as a foreigner, have come to accept and follow this local practice. In my native country, Japan, no fastfood outlet has staff whose main job is cleaning up after customers. There is no need for such employees because patrons themselves clear up after eating.

"An impeccably clean city" is an image Singapore evokes — or tries to evoke. I am telling my friends back home that the image only applies to those areas featured in tourist books.

In her letter, "A week's break for cleaners?" (Dec 9-10), Ms Maryanne Maes seems to have given up on Singaporeans ever learning such a simple task as clearing up after themselves.

I suppose the main reason why the system was unsuccessful at Zion Road Hawker Centre was that it was implemented only in one food centre, without the support of other food establishments and the Government.

With the future of our nation's cleanliness at stake, we should not allow one failure to stop us trying out potential solutions.

One patron mentioned that "it's not in our culture to do it (clear trays)" in the article "We're just brats, I guess … "

To me, clearing one's tray is not a cultural practice but a social habit that simply needs to be cultivated. The self-centred thinking of young Singaporeans — that cleaners are omnipresent — speaks volumes about what our nation's future will be like.

The littering problem will only get worse as Singaporeans expect more cleaners to be employed if there is more trash, and not take it upon themselves to reduce their litter.

To address the littering problem, small steps should be taken first by the Government and food joints in teaching patrons to depend less on cleaners and more on themselves.

When I am with friends, I do not see clearing my tray as something detrimental to my "reputation" at all. What's wrong with being seen as a responsible citizen? And there is always the added plus of my friends being embarrassed into clearing their own trays.

The situation might seem gloomy, but fear not — we can be "table-trained".

At school, students are required to clear their own cutlery after meals. I do not see why this is impossible to emulate in other situations. Perhaps, we should have a "Be Table-Trained" campaign with posters featuring a toddler in a high- chair tossing food all around.

If people are mortified about being compared to a child who doesn't know a thing about cleanliness, then they would be prompted to clean up after themselves, wouldn't they?

Straits Times Forum 12 Dec 06
Singaporeans can learn from civic-minded Japanese
Letter from Wang Hui Ling (Miss)

I REFER to the article, 'Littering is no big deal, say many' (ST, Nov 20). I have visited Japan twice and came away impressed by the Japanese people's civic-mindedness.

On a trip last year, I was with a couple of Japanese friends and their children. One child was not well and threw up on the pavement. The mother quickly calmed the child down and the two adults then proceeded to clean up the pavement with tissues. On another occasion, near an ice-cream stall in a rural farm for visitors, I saw another local cleaning up ice-cream that his child had dropped.

In Japan, there are very few dustbins and they are extremely hard to find in public places, unlike in Singapore. However, the locals never used this as an excuse to litter.

On my trip to Japan this year, I commented to another Japanese friend that it was very difficult to find a dustbin on the street, and I showed him some litter that I had in my jeans pocket. He agreed and pulled out a bigger handful of litter from his pocket, and then opened his bag and showed me yet more litter that he had kept. I laughed and realised that tourists in Japan are not the only ones experiencing inconvenience with disposing of litter.

The locals have had to deal with this inconvenience too. In Japan, the dustbins come in three portions, one for plastic litter, one for beverage cans and the third for other litter such as paper and wood that can be decomposed. Such is the extent of the system of waste disposal.

It left me extremely impressed. In Japan, the people do not have to pay for plastic bags at the supermarket but, despite this, there are many who take along their own cloth bags. Cashiers in the supermarkets put all scanned items back into the basket, and there is a designated table near the cashiers' counters for shoppers to pack their purchases into their cloth bags.

Indeed, Singaporeans have a lot to learn from the Japanese.

Straits Times Forum 12 Dec 06
Sense of environmental ownership will curb littering
Reply from S. Satish Appoo Director Environmental Health Department National Environment Agency

I REFER to the letters, 'Tour guide won't have tourists visit HDB estates', 'Put a stop to littering, outsource booking of litterbugs' and 'Offenders should attend court' (ST, Nov 30).

Over the years, we have strived to educate the public against poor social habits, such as littering and spitting.

While the majority do exercise personal responsibility in caring for the environment, there are, regrettably, a minority who still do not heed our advice.

The public would be pleased to know that the National Environment Agency (NEA) has stepped up its enforcement activities against this minority. Those who are caught in the act will be given a minimum fine of $200, and repeat offenders will be slapped with Corrective Work Order sentences.

Having done the above, we feel that littering is ultimately a behavioural problem which needs more than just punitive measures to address.

To reduce socially irresponsible acts, we need to inculcate in our people a greater sense of ownership of the environment.

Public education and community participation therefore remain NEA's key thrust in our efforts to raise the standard of hygiene and sanitation to the next level, in a sustainable manner.

We thank the readers for their views and for suggesting solutions to this problem. Members of the public who have feedback on cleanliness or littering problems in public places can call NEA's 24-hour call centre on 1800-CALL NEA (1800-2255 632) or e-mail contact_NEA@nea.gov.sg for our follow-up action.
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