Man fined and sentenced to corrective work for throwing cigarette butt; caught littering 8 times in 12 years

SINGAPORE: A repeat offender was fined S$3,600 and sentenced to perform 12 hours of corrective work for throwing a cigarette butt in a public place, said the National Environment Agency (NEA) on Wednesday (May 12). 

Peh Choe Kong, 49,  was convicted in court on May 7. This is his eighth conviction for littering, said the agency. 

On Jul 9, 2020, NEA enforcement officers witnessed Peh throwing a cigarette butt on the ground outside of Tampines 1 mall. 

During the trial, Peh said he had thrown the cigarette butt into a makeshift container placed on the ground and not onto the ground as witnessed by enforcement officers, said NEA. 

"At the end of the trial, the Court accepted the prosecution’s case and convicted the accused," it said. 

In arriving at the sentence, the Court took into consideration that Peh had seven previous convictions for littering offences from 2008 to 2018, NEA added. 

If Peh fails to pay the court fine, he will have to serve 10 days of jail in default. 

"Singapore has a strict anti-littering enforcement regime," said the agency, adding that it has issued about 19,000 tickets for littering offences in 2020. 

Under the Environmental Public Health Act, anyone who commits a littering offence is liable to a fine of up to S$2,000 for a first conviction, S$4,000 for a second conviction and S$10,000 for third and subsequent convictions. 

The court may also impose a Corrective Work Order, requiring offenders to clean public areas for up to 12 hours.