Those of you who live in Housing Development Board (HDB) flats are probably sick and tired of seeing flyers stuck between your gate and door.
They’re messy and wasteful.
More importantly: Nobody asked.
However, Sengkang residents have received a solution to this annoyance.
Flyer Boxes
Since a week ago, residents living in HDB flats in Sengkang began receiving a folded plastic cutout in their mailboxes.
It isn’t a standard cutout.
Residents can assemble each cutout to create a box for holding flyers.
The cutouts were sent by Sengkang Town Council (SKTC).
SKTC is the latest town council in Singapore to roll out this initiative, which aims to minimise flyers stuffed between gate grilles and littering the floor outside a flat.
A spokesperson for SKTC told The Straits Times, “All residents in Sengkang, around 55,000 of them, will receive a flyer box.”
The town council said it has already received several calls from residents enquiring about when they will receive the flyer boxes.
Other Town Councils that have Adopted the Initiative
According to The Straits Times, HDB does not have an official record of the initiative’s implementation.
However, a quick Google search shows that Pasir Ris-Punggol Town Council piloted the initiative as early as 2011.
Other town councils that currently have the initiative include Marsiling-Yew Tee Town Council (MYTCC) and Tampines Town Council (TTC).
MYTTC began the initiative in 2022, with all households in the area receiving one each.
TTC adopted the initiative in 2020 after residents complained about flyers being left outside their doors and creating litter.
TTC told The Straits Times that if there is demand for it, the town council will produce enough boxes for all 70,000 HDB units in the area.
Both town councils agreed that the boxes had received positive feedback.
A spokesperson for MYTTC said, “Residents are generally happy to receive the flyer boxes, as it provides them with more convenience.”
He added that flyer ink could sometimes damage the paintwork on flat gates.
In 2016, Sembawang Town Council posted a Facebook post to announce the launch of the flyer boxes.
The boxes even have a cool design, letting the whole world know that the boxes are unique to Sembawang residents.
The comments on the Facebook post are full of residents excited to receive a flyer box, so it’s unsurprising that MYTTC and TTC have gained positive feedback.
Other town councils, like Chua Chu Kang Town Council, are in the process of adopting the initiative.
Not All are Happy with the Initiative
Despite the positive feedback, The Straits Times observed that of 96 units reporters visited in Sengkang’s Rivervale Walk neighbourhood, only 33 had fixed the box on their gates.
Another five units had made their own boxes or had decorated the flyer box they were issued.
Anchorvale Link resident, 62-year-old Madam Ann Ong, told The Straits Times that she will not use the flyer box since residents don’t receive many flyers these days.
In addition, she noted that residents tend to throw the flyers out anyway.
Some residents in other neighbours share similar sentiments.
29-year-old Ms Samantha Young, who lives in Toa Payoh, felt that the flyer boxes could encourage people to put more flyers.
She added, “It’s just more rubbish for me to have to take out at the end of the day.”
Some people feel that the boxes ruin the design of their gates.
30-year-old Mr Lau Yu Fan, who resides in Tampines, told The Straits Times that he did not think the boxes were “aesthetically pleasing”.
He said, “I would rather spend some money to buy a nice woven basket and hang it on my gate instead.”
Potential Solutions to Complaints
While the flyer boxes may not be aesthetically pleasing to everybody, some people seem to like the flyer box’s design.
A four-year-old listing on online marketplace Carousell listed a flyer box from Pasir-Ris-Punggol Town Council for $15.
While the ethics of selling something you got for free is a debate for another day, the listing has since been marked as “sold”.
Clearly, someone out there sees the value in flyer boxes.
If the town council-issued flyer box design doesn’t suit your fancy, some people have taken to selling customised flyer boxes online.
Take a look at this Carousell listing:
The prices range from $20 to $38, but anything for an aesthetic door, right?
Though only 33 out of the 96 units The Straits Times visited were using their newly-issued flyer boxes, TTC’s approach to the initiative seems to fix the potential problem of flyer box wastage.
TTC made it such that only households that registered their interest would receive the flyer box.
Households have to fill up a form to indicate their interest.
Fortunately, the flyer box is delivered at no cost.
To be eligible, you just need to reside within Tampines GRC.
Some people who can’t do origami may find themselves in a pickle when assembling the box.
However, in 2020, TTC posted a simple video guide on assembling a flyer box.
If you hate the idea of unwanted flyers despite the flyer boxes, here’s a handy solution.
There’s a hidden function within SingPost’s enquiry form.
Firstly, click “Contact Us” on SingPost’s main homepage.
Then, click on the “Personal Enquiry” button.
Choose “Postal” for the service type.
It will bring you to this form:
Select “Advertising Mail” for the category.
A hidden sub-category will be revealed to you, where you need to select “Opt-Out Service”, fill in your particulars and send the form.
That’s all.
SingPost will then post a “No Admail” sticker on your letterbox.
However, note that this isn’t a foolproof way to make all unwanted flyers disappear.
After all, you can still relieve flyers from other non-SingPost distributors.
It helps reduce unwanted flyers significantly, though.