One of the most common offences committing in Singapore is littering.
It’s not because there are not enough green rubbish bins everywhere because, according to an unofficial survey conducted on all Goody Feed staff members, people are trying to help the cleaners keep their jobs.
This is especially important since robots seemed to be taking over.
However, these days with more people sent to work and study from home and fewer cleaners in our estates due to border control, the estates are only getting dirtier.
Residents Advised to Keep Estates Cleaner As New Migrant Cleaners Aren’t Able to Enter S’pore Now
Ever since Singapore stopped accepting new work pass holders from high-risk places, there have been manpower shortages throughout various industries.
Almost 60% of migrant workers of Tampines North’s new cleaning contractor were unable to start work due to Singapore’s restricted entry.
The other 40% that made it into our tiny red dot have to put in double the effort to clear the growing waste caused by the increased amount of residents at home.
“They have been working harder to clear the increasing amount of garbage as more residents stay at home with more food and online shopping delivery packaging. The cleaners are also stepping up on the disinfection of frequent touchpoints to keep us safe,” said Tampines GRC MP Baey Yam Keng in a Facebook post.
Several MPs also expressed similar manpower shortages in their constituencies. They urged residents to do their part in keeping the estates clean.
Due to the tightened border controls, it is hard to find replacements for migrant workers that have returned home.
“I know most residents are law-abiding and considerate, but for the few black sheep in the community, I hope they can be reminded to do their part and keep the estate clean,” Mr Baey told ST.
The new cleaning contractor for Tampines North GRC took over on 1 April and they are trying their best to keep the estate clean with the increased workload.
Despite the increased workload and the decreased manpower, residents are not doing their part in keeping their neighbourhood clean.
In case you’re wondering who takes care of the cleanliness of your estate, it’s the town council. And if you wonder why an MP is responsible for this, you might want to watch this video about town council to the end:
Inappropriate Trash Disposal
Other than the shortage of manpower, various instances of inappropriate trash disposal were spotted.
In a case, a third-floor resident complained that his rubbish chute was overflowing.
An investigation revealed that someone clogged the chute when they had thrown the laundry poles down, and this caused rubbish to pile up.
MP for Mountbatten and chairman of Marine Parade Town Council, Mr Lim Biow Chuan highlighted the issues, saying that indiscriminate littering can lead to other problems.
Food waste littering could attract cockroaches, rats or other vermins, while the food containers could collect water and breed mosquitos.
Rubbish piled up in corridors can also pose a fire hazard.
Although there has not been an increase in dengue cases in Mr Lim’s constituency, he added, “you just need one instance and you can get a lot of mosquitoes from one site.”
And rubbish isn’t just causing an eyesore: they can be fatal to someone, too.
3 Red Dengue Clusters
According to National Environment Agency (NEA) website, there are three red dengue clusters as of 28 May – Rosewood Drive, Tuas South Boulevard and Cashew Terrace.
Two of these clusters are condos.
In case you’re wondering what is a red dengue cluster, it means that area is a high-risked area that has 10 or more dengue cases.
We definitely do not want more red dengue clusters around Singapore.
Surveillance
Do you know that there are “popular spots” for littering? Apparently, that’s the case.
Surveillance and enforcement are now conducted at the hot spots for litter. Mobile (closed-circuit television cameras) and other ways are used to monitor the hot spots.
Mr Lim said Marine Parade town council is working with the NEA to step up enforcement against high-rise littering.
“But you can do only so much with enforcement. We hope our residents do their part too and not take the cleaners for granted, or we will never have a clean estate.
“We hope to send the message that clearing rubbish is something everyone has a responsibility to do.”
Featured Image: Facebook (Baey Yam Keng)