Tampines resident caught dumping furniture in lift; town council investigating matter

Has a man turned the lift of this HDB block into a rubbish chute? 

A resident, surnamed Li, complained about the unbearable stench in a lift at Block 274 Tampines Street 22.

Someone dumped a shelf and a table top in the lift on Nov 17 and Nov 20 respectively, Li wrote in to Lianhe Zaobao's forum.

When a Shin Min reporter visited the block on Tuesday (Dec 5), they found a notice from the Tampines Town Council at the lift lobby on the ground floor.

The notice showed CCTV images of the resident who had discarded the furniture in the lift.

The town council said it was aware that a man had been disposing of bulky items and food in the lift, and urged residents to come forward if they had information about the offender. 

Copies of the notice were also pasted in the lift, as well as at the lift lobbies of the seventh and eighth floors of the block.

One resident surnamed Liu told the Chinese evening daily that she spotted bags of rubbish left inside the lift, usually in the morning. 

The 67-year-old housewife also saw discarded cardboard boxes, but said she never saw any bulky items there. 

Another resident, surnamed Chen, said that she had seen someone dumping a table in the lift.

"They already moved the table into the lift, why not move it to the garbage disposal right outside? 

"I don't understand why they had to leave the items in the elevator, it's so inconsiderate," said the 65-year-old.

Other residents shared that they had found empty drink cans, tissues and wrappers in the lift. There was also litter at the lift lobby as well as the bicycle racks at the void deck.

An estate cleaner who did not want to be named told Shin Min that he had to clear the rubbish in the lift every day. 

However, the situation improved since the town council's notice was put up, and no large items were left behind in the lift, the cleaner said.

Town council investigating matter

Responding to Shin Min's queries, a spokesperson from Tampines Town Council said they have checked CCTV footage and found the man discarding bulky items in the lift. 

They launched an investigation to identify the man, and intend to take enforcement action against him. 

The town council also stressed that residents who require assistance to dispose of bulky items can contact the town council.

ALSO READ: Sengkang HDB resident turns corridor and lift lobby into 'personal warehouse', town council responds

lim.kewei@asiaone.com