Surveillance cameras to be installed to monitor high-rise littering

SINGAPORE: The National Environment Agency (NEA) will install surveillance cameras in places with a persistent high-rise littering problem.

Previously, it would have required many hours of stakeouts to catch the offender in action.

NEA said the number of high-rise littering cases rose to 5,232 last year - nearly 700 more than the previous year.

The agency has apprehended and prosecuted some 40 cases in the last 10 years.

Offenders of killer litter, or high-rise littering, can face imprisonment, a fine, or both. The Housing Development Board may also compulsorily acquire the HDB flat or terminate the flat tenancy if the killer litter is thrown from any HDB property.

Speaking in Parliament on Tuesday, Senior Minister of State for the Environment and Water Resources, Grace Fu, said that more effort should be made to develop stronger community ownership for a clean environment.

Mr Yeo Guat Kwang, MP for Ang Mo Kio GRC, said: "It is sad that there are Singaporeans who are still not taking ownership of the clean and green environment that we have worked very long to achieve. In fact, people have forgotten about doing what is right, and only (try to avoid) getting caught."

In response, Ms Fu said: "Stepping up enforcement for littering does not completely address the deeper challenge of nurturing the right values. We must build greater individual ownership and community action if we are to raise the standard of cleanliness in all our public spaces.

"We need to cultivate these attitudes and values from a young age, and we are working with the MOE to integrate environmental responsibility into MOE's values-driven school curriculum."

Staying on the topic of cleanliness, all public cleaning contracts will now be brought under one agency.

The aim is to better manage cleaning services and standards, and improve responsiveness to public feedback.