SINGAPORE — Redhill resident John Posko Amalaraj would sometimes return home to an eyesore — discarded leftover drink cartons in the lifts at his Housing Development Board block.Faced with the rise in littering cases, the National Environment Agency would quadruple its deployment of closed-circuit television cameras at littering hot spots, which include HDB estates, to around 1,000.Each week, TODAY’s long-running Big Read series delves into the trends and issues that matter.
However, they cautioned against the disproportionate use of such shame-based measures, and suggested that some safeguards be put in placeSINGAPORE — Redhill resident John Posko Amalaraj would sometimes return home to an eyesore — discarded leftover drink cartons in the lifts at his Housing Development Board block.
Over at Jalan Besar, Ms Wendy Chan, a resident at a condominium along Somme Road, told TODAY that she often sees cigarette butts being littered at the property’s front gate and in its flower pots.As her condominium is next to a public park, birds frequent the area and may sometimes leave droppings on cars that are parked along the main road in front of the property, said the swimming coach in her 50s.
Faced with the rise in littering cases, Mr Baey told Parliament that MSE would thus adopt a “more targeted approach” to tackling littering hot spots. Mr Rahim, the estate cleaner, said he noticed the littering situation improved after NEA officers started ramping up enforcement and issuing more “saman” to offenders.
“If I know I can get away with it, I will take my chances even if the fine is high,” she said of people's mindset.A surveillance camera installed at People’s Park Complex, on March 6, 2024. Cleaners, experts and Members of Parliament whom TODAY interviewed said that turning to surveillance and closed-circuit television cameras could be effective, to some extent, in deterring litterbugs.
Agreeing, 29-year-old consultant Darren Then said that while publicising a litterbugs' photos could be “quite useful”, ensuring that the facts are well-established before putting up such images would be crucial. “This might go some way towards discouraging … because people will know that they can’t just name-and-shame anyone. Just as the Government chooses carefully who to identify, this will role-model to them that they must also first establish facts before calling people out.”