Debated in Parliament on 20 Feb 2017.
Er Dr Lee Bee Wah asked the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources (a) what is the reason for the rise in littering resulting in more than 31,000 summonses issued by NEA last year; (b) whether any analysis has been done to understand the underlying cause; and (c) what is the Ministry doing to address this problem.
A survey commissioned by the National Environment Agency (NEA) in 2010 found that around a third of Singaporeans would litter if they think they can get away with it. In addition, the survey found that while people realise that littering is an anti-social act, many still hold the false perception that throwing small items, such as tissue papers and plastic wrappers, does not constitute littering.
To tackle the littering problem, NEA has stepped up enforcement against littering. Last year, NEA issued more than 31,000 tickets to littering offenders, about 18% more than in 2015. We have also enhanced the penalties for litterbugs. In April 2014, the Environmental Public Health Act (EPHA) was amended to double the maximum fines for littering to $2,000 for the first Court conviction, $4,000 for the second conviction and $10,000 for the third and subsequent convictions. Repeat offenders would also be issued Corrective Work Orders.
In 2013, NEA launched a Community Volunteer (CV) programme to foster greater ownership of the environment by engaging volunteers to encourage members of the public to bin their litter. More than 330 individuals have come on board the CV programme and engaged over 3,700 litterbugs.
We have also been working with stakeholders, such as the Public Hygiene Council (PHC), to encourage everyone to keep Singapore clean and inculcate a sense of responsibility towards our environment. The annual "Operation WE Clean Up!" is one such activity by the PHC which aims to galvanise the community through litter-picking activities across the island. The NEA and the PHC, together with partners, such as the Singapore Kindness Movement, have also worked with the Ministry of Education to encourage students to undertake daily cleaning in their schools, to inculcate a sense of responsibility among the students.
The problem of littering cannot be solved just by enforcement or by the Government alone. Everyone has to take greater care of our environment and play a part in keeping Singapore clean.
PAPERCUTS