Monitoring Performance of Contractors Managing Maintenance Works in Private Estates

Ms Cheryl Chan Wei Ling asked the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources whether controls are in place to monitor performance of contractors managing maintenance works in private estates as there is no equivalent like Town Councils to ensure maintenance works are conducted.

The National Environment Agency (NEA) oversees the cleanliness of public areas in Singapore. Private estates are cleaned at least three times every week by NEA and its cleaning contractors. The actual frequencies of cleaning depend on the ground conditions, such as human traffic and natural vegetation.

NEA has put in place a system of regular audit checks to monitor the performance level of these cleaning contractors. Besides physically inspecting the maintenance work, NEA officers also assess the progress and outcome of cleaning works through sensors and mobile cameras. Where there are service lapses, the cleaning contractors will be given default points which translate into financial penalties.

While the Government will continue to ensure the effectiveness of such cleaning services, we should not rely on cleaners to clean up after us. I would like to urge everyone to take ownership of the environment to keep it clean. It is only through our collective efforts that we can have a truly clean Singapore.