Roof on Shelter At AMK Filled With Rubbish Allegedly Due to High-Rise Littering

“Singapore is clean and green.”

You’ve probably heard and seen this phrase before, either from a tourist or in your Social Studies textbook.

Visitors from around the world marvel at how clean and green Singapore is, with its tidy streets and lush lines of trees.

Well, it’s no surprise, what with harsh punishments for littering which include hefty fines and even jail terms.

But do we law-abiding citizens keep the streets of Singapore pristine because we want it to be that way or because it’s illegal to litter?

Today, we have an answer.

Roof on Shelter At AMK Filled With Rubbish Allegedly Due to High-Rise Littering

The roof of a shelter at Blk 223 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1 has been shrouded with rubbish allegedly due to high-rise littering from residents in the area.

Facebook page SG Dirty Fella, which was probably the most appropriate page for this story, shared pictures of the dirty roof in a post on 28 May.

The pictures show part of a roofed shelter covered in rubbish such as tissues and other unidentifiable objects.

According to some netizens, many other residential areas have the same problem.

People throw things like used tissue paper, food waste, masks, and cigarette butts out their windows or corridors, and sweepers have to clean up after them the next morning.

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One netizen claimed that people staying above him have thrown food out the window, which once landed on his air-conditioner compressor.

Why are people like this?

But the real question here is why the heck are people using so much tissue paper all of a sudden?

Is everyone sick with the coronavirus at home or are they busy doing something else?

I don’t really want the answer to that question, to be honest.

Over 2,000 Cases Of High-Rise Littering Every Year

According to a 2019 CNA report, over 7,700 cases of high-rise littering were reported between 2016 and 2019 to the National Environment Agency (NEA).

The number of cases ranged from 2,300 and 2,800 each year, which means that there were around six to eight cases a day.

Like the roof above, litterers typically threw cigarette butts, used tissues, and food waste from their apartments.

One resident in Bedok noticed that old people living in his area were throwing rice out of their windows to feed pigeons.

If littering is one of your hobbies, you’re probably unaware of the severe punishments awaiting you.

According to The Straits Times, first-time offenders can be fined up to $2,000 for each offence, while recalcitrant offenders face fines of up to $10,000 or Corrective Work Order (CWO) in addition to, or in lieu of, a fine on conviction.

So, please think twice before you throw your half-eaten chicken wing out the window. Would it really kill you to walk a few metres to your dustbin?

Reader: It would, actually

I’m disappointed in you, dear reader.