THESE days, Singapore's streets have become dirtier than they were in the 1980s and 90s. Litter such as bottles, cans, plastic bags and styrofoam boxes are a common sight.
Of course, the rubbish is removed every day, but littering is a growing problem that we need to tackle if we are to maintain our image as a clean and green city.
I am all for the courts getting tougher on litterbugs, but we also need to apply common sense when it comes to curbing littering.
Litter such as cigarette butts, parking coupon tabs, styrofoam boxes and unwanted electrical appliances attract the same fines, regardless of their size, whether or not they are biodegradable, and the difficulty of removing them.
I have seen large styrofoam boxes falling from lorries, breaking apart and being strewn over a few kilometres of expressway. I am sure it takes much effort and time to clean up this kind of litter, not to mention the risks involved.
If the guilty lorry driver is fined for littering, should the fine be the same as that for someone who threw a cigarette butt or parking coupon tab on the road?
Of course, it is much easier to nab someone tossing aside a cigarette butt than an errant lorry driver. Perhaps that is why enforcement officers focus on the former. But for the sake of a clean Singapore, we should not miss the forest for the trees.
Tan Chin Hwee
Of course, the rubbish is removed every day, but littering is a growing problem that we need to tackle if we are to maintain our image as a clean and green city.
I am all for the courts getting tougher on litterbugs, but we also need to apply common sense when it comes to curbing littering.
Litter such as cigarette butts, parking coupon tabs, styrofoam boxes and unwanted electrical appliances attract the same fines, regardless of their size, whether or not they are biodegradable, and the difficulty of removing them.
I have seen large styrofoam boxes falling from lorries, breaking apart and being strewn over a few kilometres of expressway. I am sure it takes much effort and time to clean up this kind of litter, not to mention the risks involved.
If the guilty lorry driver is fined for littering, should the fine be the same as that for someone who threw a cigarette butt or parking coupon tab on the road?
Of course, it is much easier to nab someone tossing aside a cigarette butt than an errant lorry driver. Perhaps that is why enforcement officers focus on the former. But for the sake of a clean Singapore, we should not miss the forest for the trees.
Tan Chin Hwee
