SINGAPORE – Tissues, sanitary pads, curry and even faeces: Mr Lee Kok Chuan, cleaning site manager in Ang Mo Kio, has seen all sorts of awful and dangerous things flung from high-rise buildings into common areas.

But the new Environmental Public Health (Amendment) Bill passed on Feb 6 aims to put a stop to that, making it easier and faster for the National Environment Agency (NEA) to tackle high-rise littering.

Mr Lee, 54, hopes it will serve as a deterrent to litterbugs – particularly those who fling killer litter out of their high-rise homes. 

“I’ve seen flower pots, glass beer bottles and table fans thrown out of the window... Thankfully, no one got hurt, but we might not always be so lucky,” he said.

“Although littering is a bad habit and the new Bill might not change their ways, I hope it will make it easier to punish those that don’t.”

A new rule captured in the Bill presumes that a suspected flat owner is guilty of high-rise littering unless he proves his innocence.

Evidence captured by NEA surveillance cameras, or photos and videos submitted by the public, can be used to identify beyond reasonable doubt that occupants of a particular flat were responsible for high-rise littering.

To avoid charges against them, flat owners and tenants will have to show that they are not responsible for the high-rise litter within 14 days of being required to do so.

The rule will kick in on July 1. 

While the new amendment is a good step in the right direction, Yio Chu Kang MP Yip Hon Weng said the Bill does not provide enough deterrence. 

“We need a systematic and comprehensive approach that addresses the underlying causes of littering, and focus on how to tackle the issue effectively,” he said.

“This can be done by looking into other areas such as public education, as well as infrastructure enhancements.”

Hougang MP Dennis Tan said the new Bill might make prosecution of high-rise litterbugs easier and reduce cases in the long run.

However, he hopes that placing the burden of proof on flat owners will not deteriorate relationships between owners and their family members or tenants.

He added: “Our society needs to continue to work on the small group of inconsiderate people in every part of Singapore who are responsible for the littering acts which make our estates and public spaces dirty, whether by way of better education, better public education or more effective surveillance or enforcement measures... It is a work in progress.”

But even with such measures, the Bill still does not take into account fringe cases of high-rise littering, said Ang Mo Kio GRC MP Darryl David. 

“Some things are not high-rise littering per se, but still contribute to an unfriendly living environment... For instance, when a neighbour hangs a dirty mop out of their window and has that dirty water drip onto someone’s drying clothes... In this case, water does ‘fall’ from the flat, but it isn’t considered litter, although clearly it affects the lives of their neighbours.”

Similar things can be said about particularly noisy neighbours, as it is still not possible to prosecute someone for being a public nuisance within the confines of their home, he added.

Mr David said: “While such cases are not covered under the new Bill, I hope that the new Bill is a step towards deterring uncivil behaviour in general.”

Despite this, he said that his constituents are pleased to see that the Bill was passed for stricter enforcement against litterbugs.

Of five MPs ST asked, all agreed that the Bill was a good step forward, but that the details of how the eventual law will be enforced still need to be ironed out.

Examples of details left hanging about enforcement include whether or not a platform should be created for residents to upload evidence of neighbours littering from their flats and how to ensure that humane exceptions can be made for those with mental disabilities, among others.

Regarding the litter he has to clean up frequently, Mr Lee said: “It is discouraging to clean up the same mess time and time again... Sometimes, after cleaning an area completely, we find that residents have littered again within only half an hour or so.

“I hope that residents will be able to spare a thought for those who have to bear the brunt of their behaviour.”

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This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.