Feb 24, 2012 - ST Forum
AS A freelance tourist guide, I frequently received compliments
from tourists about how clean and green Singapore is, until
lately.
Now, I am often obliged to clarify that while Singapore is
indeed green, it is clean only in the town or tourist areas.
The state of cleanliness has been deteriorating. I have noticed
plastic trash lying around in public residential areas such as void
decks, lift lobbies, playgrounds, pavements and public rest
areas.
Much of the trash is often left lying within sight, and metres
away from a bin. I can think of two culprits for the littering: the
large number of foreign workers who are not aware of the
anti-littering rules, and young Singaporeans who seem apathetic
towards maintaining public cleanliness and who do not take
ownership of their living areas.
I frequently visit Jurong Point shopping centre and often see
groups of foreign workers sitting on the steps and edges of
flower-beds outside the mall, eating and chatting.
When the mall closes, the place is littered with food packets
and plastic bottles, which are not only an eyesore but also
unhygienic, attracting cockroaches and rats.
In my estate in Eunos Crescent, the void decks look like they
have not been washed for months.
I often see piles of plastic food packets and empty drink cans
left in public areas, waiting for the cleaners.
There is also leftover cat food in the void decks, cigarette
butts at bus stops' flower-beds and bits of used plaster stuck on
pavements.
I once saw a teenage girl dropping an empty drink carton onto a
pavement, just metres from a bin, and another dropping her empty
drink can onto a grass bed as she carried on walking as if it was
the most normal thing to do.
Companies that recruit foreign workers must explain local laws
to them, and schools must find ways to effectively educate and
convince students that littering is uncool and antisocial
behaviour.
Edwin Lim
