Cleaning Frequency for Compactors at Bin Centres

Miss Cheryl Chan Wei Ling asked the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources (a) what is the rationale for NEA's requirement for cleaning of the compactor at bin centres to be set at once a month; (b) whether this cleaning frequency is sufficient, especially for bin centres near hawker centres; and (c) whether the Ministry is introducing technology to assist cleaning contractors in managing the hygiene of the bin centres.

The National Environment Agency (NEA) does not set specific requirements for the cleaning of compactors at bin centres. However, our public waste collectors send the compactors to their depots for maintenance and cleaning once a month to ensure that the equipment is in good working condition and maintained in a clean and presentable state.

In addition to the monthly cleaning of the compactors by the public waste collectors, all premises owners are responsible under the Environmental Public Health (Public Cleansing) Regulations for ensuring that their refuse bin centres are kept in a clean and sanitary condition and in good repair. For example, most Town Council cleaners practise daily cleaning of the external surfaces of the compactors. In addition, the cleaning contractors of all hawker centres owned by my Ministry are contractually required to clean the refuse bin centres daily. Similar arrangements are also adopted by the Town Councils for hawker centres owned by the Housing and Development Board.

To ensure better management of the hygiene of bin centres, NEA is working with the cleaning industry to encourage greater use of technology to enhance the productivity and effectiveness of cleaners.