The Big Read: Show and shame litterbugs — would it be a step too far or just what's needed to curb the scourge?A sign cautioning against littering displayed outside People’s Park Complex, on Mar 6, 2024.To tackle a rise in littering cases, the authorities are stepping up enforcement measures, including quadrupling the deployment of closed-circuit television cameras at hot spots
Outside of the lifts, the 67-year-old also worries that stagnant water left to collect in strewn litter in the open could lead to mosquitos breeding, and contribute to a rise in dengue cases. In 2022, the authorities issued more than 20,000 tickets for littering, a 42 per cent increase from the roughly 14,000 tickets issued in 2021.issued 18,600 tickets for ground littering in 2023.CWO — introduced in 1992 — requires recalcitrant offenders to clean public areas for a minimum of three hours, up to a maximum of 12 hours. The regime serves to remind them of the impact of littering and the difficulties faced by cleaners, said NEA.
The ministry will conduct around five times as many enforcement blitzes in 2024 compared to 2023, from 21 last year to more than 100 this year. He noted that the situation “has remained the same” over the years, and it is “not a state that we desire”. “While we have targeted measures for places with higher incidence of littering offences, it is not possible just to rely on ramping up the cleaning frequencies.Ms Gheetha Mahalangam, whose son and family live at the Skyville @ Dawson HDB cluster in Queenstown, often visits the sky gardens in the block of flats with her granddaughter when she pays them a visit.
“I think there’s a sense that any space outside of the home is not mine to care about and therefore not my responsibility to manage,” said Dr Serene Koh, director of consultancy firm Behavioural Insights Team Singapore. Acknowledging this, Mr Baey said in his presentation of his ministry’s budget: “Based on our cleanliness surveys, many still believe that the responsibility to keep Singapore clean lies with the Government and our ‘army of cleaners’.
Another cleaner, Mr Abdul Rahim — who oversees three HDB blocks near Haig Road Market and Food Centre, including its nearby playground and garden — said: “Sometimes you finish already, after that you come around 12 something or 1 something , and they throw the wrappers again.”A cleaner sweeping up leaves and other litter on Mar 4, 2024. Many Singaporeans think it is the cleaners’ job to keep the city litter-free.
“The key to reducing littering is effective enforcement and strong investigative capabilities, as litterbugs must feel that they have a high chance of being caught and punished,” he added.experts and other MPs whom TODAY interviewed said that turning to surveillance and closed-circuit television cameras could be effective, to some extent, in deterring litterbugs.
“Once in a while, we still receive similar feedback at other HDB void decks without mobile CCTV . We then install the mobile CCTVs at these new locations to deter littering.” Dr Koh of Behavioural Insights Team added that research on enforcement and compliance has shown that the certainty of getting caught is a more effective deterrent than the severity of the punishment.
Still, even those who support the move recognise that the line between official surveillance and citizen vigilantism is a fine one to tread — making it necessary for safeguards to be put in place.that the town council will only share the images of CCTV recordings with government agencies, and never with the public.
“We don’t want any instances of accidental littering that is not on purpose — and then they become public enemy number one,” said Mr Then. Assoc Prof Tan from NUS added that for “people who care about their public image, can be an effective deterrence”. “If you ask me, a 30-year-old working professional to do that, I’d be very ashamed. But a lot of offenders are youths in their early 20s or even in their late teens and… I don’t think they're so deterred by the shame of having to serve CWO. Most of them probably think it’s funnyCorrective Work Order — introduced in 1992 — requires recalcitrant offenders to clean public areas for a minimum of three hours, up to a maximum of 12 hours.
Agreeing, the 31-year-old who had previously served a CWO said the order did deter her from further littering as she did not want to go through the hassle of serving it again.can lead to a loss of self-esteem and reputation, cause undue distress in some, and may even lead individuals to withdraw from the community.
Singapore Latest News, Singapore Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Source: TODAYonline - 🏆 1. / 99 Read more »
Source: TODAYonline - 🏆 1. / 99 Read more »
Source: TODAYonline - 🏆 1. / 99 Read more »
Source: thenewpaper - 🏆 7. / 63 Read more »
Source: asiaonecom - 🏆 10. / 59 Read more »