Curry, bread, even bee hoon: Yishun HDB resident exasperated by rubbish landing on laundry pole

It's been 'raining' rubbish outside the kitchen window for one Yishun HDB resident, thanks to a neighbour living upstairs. 

Expressing her frustration to Shin Min Daily News, the woman, surnamed Zhang, described how she would often witness litter being thrown from the kitchen window by her upstairs neighbour.

Zhang, 66, who lives in Block 393 Yishun Avenue 6, stated that this has been going on for a number of years, since 2020.

She added that the food remnants left at her window ledge would also attract birds to her unit. The birds would often leave their droppings at her window.

Said Zhang: "During the Covid-19 pandemic when I was at home, I realised that the neighbour upstairs would throw food wrappers, bread, curry and bits of paper down the building." 

Zhang stated that while she used to hang her clothes outside to dry after washing, she has since started hanging her clothes in the house for fear of them being stained.

According to photos provided by Zhang, bread trimmings and strands of bee hoon could be seen on the laundry pole. Her son's white shirt were also marked by black stains but she remains unsure of what could have been thrown to cause the stain.

A reporter from Shin Min Daily News who visited Zhang's flat found rain-soaked writing paper stuck onto Zhang's window ledge, purportedly as a result of the littering. According to Zhang, the paper appeared to be from children's math worksheets.

Said an exasperated Zhang: "I had already thrown away the bread crumbs in the morning. After that there was paper. It's like this every day."

Zhang also suspects that birds attracted to the remnants of food have also entered her kitchen.

"I had an apple on the table which looked like it had been eaten, I suspect the birds had flown in to peck on it, said Zhang.

Another resident interviewed by Shin Min shared that he'd also seen bread and liquids being thrown from the floor above. 

Said the man: "Occasionally, my clothes hanging outside will get stained, but fortunately it's not too frequent. I can only blame my luck when it happens."

Zhang told Shin Min Daily News that she had reported her neighbour's acts to the town council but the situation remained unchanged.

In its reply to Shin Min Daily News about the case, the Yishun Town Council stated that it had issued advisory letters to those suspected of high-rise littering, warning them against such behaviour.

The town council added that it has received three complaints regarding high-rise littering in the past two years. Notices have also been placed around HDB flats to remind residents not to throw objects from high-rise buildings, reported Shin Min Daily News.

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crystal.tan@asiaone.com