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  Today Online 1 Jun 07
Bin that mindset
Change litterbugs' mentality to get to root of littering problem Friday
Letter from Kenneth Lim Chun Tat

Straits Times Forum 31 May 07
Pupils join battle against litterbugs
By Melissa Tan

HE IS 13, polite and persuasive. Meet Primary 5 pupil Pyi Thein Kyaw - the latest weapon in the fight against littering here.

Campaigns, fines and corrective work orders have not rid Singapore of the mess and now the authorities are hoping that Thein Kyaw and more than 100 other Litter-Free Ambassadors (LFAs) like him can make a difference.

As ambassador, the First Toa Payoh Primary School pupil, with ambitions of becoming an environmental scientist, will organise activities such getting different classes to clean up areas on a daily basis and also hold cleanest class competitions.

Said the 13-year-old: 'I want my school to be clean so that more people will be happy to visit and study here.'

The Litter-Free Ambassador programme, launched by the National Environment Agency this week, is an extension of the Environmental Champion programme currently in place, in which students selected by their teachers become advocates for environmental issues in their schools.

There are now 116 ambassadors operating in 14 pilot schools, and the NEA hopes to increase that number to 2,000 by 2009. To do this, it will encourage the 2,000-plus students who are already Environmental Champions to also participate in the new programme.

The NEA is using the programme to reach out to youth, since those aged below the age of 30 make up the biggest group of littering offenders. A survey by the NEA also found that one in two in this group did not even think littering was a serious problem.

The Senior Parliamentary Secretary for the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, Dr Amy Khor, remarked: 'This could be because the cleaners and maids are doing too good a job.' Of the move to appoint LFAs, she said: 'Getting them to impress and influence their peers will be more effective than talks on the environment.'

Today Online 1 Jun 07
Bin that mindset
Change litterbugs' mentality to get to root of littering problem Friday
Letter from Kenneth Lim Chun Tat

ON A recent school trip, I visited various places in the Central Business District (CBD) such as the Supreme Court and the Old Parliament House.

What I realised about this area is that it is virtually litter-free. This got me thinking: Why is it cleaner than most other parts of Singapore? One reason is that people may perceive the CBD as a place of high security and have the impression that those who litter in the area will likely be caught.

But does this mean we can litter elsewhere? I don't think so. Everyone knows it is wrong to litter but the problem lies with those who believe that so long as they are not caught, it is acceptable to do so.

One country that I can think of that is almost litter-free is Japan. There, if you walk along the streets, you will realise there are only a small number of dustbins, much fewer as compared to Singapore.

Some Singaporeans' mentality is, "I can litter as long as there is nobody around", while the mentality of the Japanese is, "If there is no dustbin around, I will go and find one".

We have to educate the public on the negative effects of littering. We should not forget that littering is the root of many problems, ranging from killer litter to pollution.
links
Bugged by littering Under-30s are major culprits, according to first NEA survey
Sheralyn Tay Today Online 7 Mar 07

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