SINGAPORE: A Singaporean took to social media to express that he felt irritated after seeing rubbish from a McDonald’s meal left behind on the floor near a stairwell instead of being disposed of properly.
Facebook user 梁智茪 posted photos of the trash on the Complaint Singapore group page on Tuesday (Nov 5).
“Which person lacks a sense of responsibility and just threw their food here without putting it in the trash?” he wrote.
He added that the building where the rubbish was found is at Jurong West Avenue 1, and one of the photos posted by 梁智茪 shows the location as Block 538.
Commenters on 梁智茪’s post encouraged him to report the matter to the National Environment Agency (NEA). However, the post author said he did not know who was responsible for the rubbish.
梁智茪 added that the food trash was there when he left for work that morning and was still there when he returned later that day.
Others sadly noted that seeing improperly disposed of trash is not that uncommon.
The photos posted by 梁智茪 are surprising, given Singapore’s reputation for cleanliness, and fines are slapped on people who do not dispose of rubbish properly.
Tourists who plan on visiting the city-state are regularly warned against littering, defined as putting any article or thing in a public place except in a rubbish bin provided for that purpose, including plastic cups, tissue papers, cigarettes, and rubber bands.
Case in point: in 2019, a man was fined S$300 after getting caught shooting just two rubber bands on a public road at Jurong East, NEA said.
After a man received notice of his violation, he posted his ticket online, which then went viral.
So yes, Singapore takes littering very seriously indeed.
First offenders can be fined as much as S$2,000. Repeat offenders may be made to pay an eye-watering S$10,000 in fines, and high-rise litterers will be asked to appear in court.
“If you commit a littering offence under the EPHA, you may be arrested without a warrant by any police officer or authorised officer and taken before the courts or served with a notice to attend court at a particular time,” this law website says.
The Independent Singapore has reached out to 梁智茪 for further comments or updates. /TISG
Read also: S$300 fine for leaving rubber band behind; littering, a serious offence in Singapore
