Littering
Why is littering still a problem in Singapore ?
Experts say that Singaporeans always think that someone will always clean up after them , hence they become too lazy to do the right thing and clean up after themselves.
As of last September last year, there were 52,000 cleaners here, of which 38,000- were Singaporeans or permanent residents, said the National Environment Agency (NEA).
In countries like japan, people clean up after themselves because there is a lack of cleaners.
In an NEA study done from 2009 to 2010, four out of 10 people in Singapore said that they litter because it is convenience and there are many cleaners around.
In addition to locals being apathetic about Singapore’s cleaners, people from other countries and foreign workers come and litter. Most of them do not even care if they are breaking the law. Some of them think that this is not their country so they do not care.
‘That’s not littering’
Everybody knows throwing a cigarette butt onto the floor or out of the window is littering, but
most Singaporeans have found their own way to justify their anti-social actions.
Some Singaporeans think that if the litter in the rubbish bin is full and if they put their trash round it ,it is not littering but actually it is littering.
Penalties
NEA gave about 19,000 tickets for littering last year, which is almost double the number in 2013.
The maximum fine for littering offenders has been increased to $2,000 for a first conviction. Those who persisted can be fined $4,000 for their second conviction, and $10,000 for their third and subsequent convictions.