Trolleys, faeces and glass: Punggol residents horrified by high-rise littering

High-rise littering has plagued the residents of a rental HDB block in Punggol for months, and some have chosen to move out.

Speaking to Shin Min Daily News, a resident surnamed Chen, who has been living at Block 223A Sumang Lane for the past two years, said that high-rise littering has been a longtime issue — someone even threw a shopping trolley down several floors last week.

"On April 29, I woke up at 6am and was washing up when I heard a loud noise outside the window," he told the Chinese daily.

"I saw a shopping trolley land on the grass below."

Past cases of high-rise littering in the area usually involved plastic bags, food and used tissues, among many other things, Chen added.

"Every morning, there will be all sorts of rubbish on the ground. Once, someone threw a bag of curry down the block, it was still hot," he said.

For the past eight months, someone would also throw faeces down the block every morning without fail, Chen added.

When a Shin Min reporter visited the scene on April 30, they found a bag of rubbish on the grass below the block, with food packaging scattered around the vicinity. However, the trolley was already removed.

There was also a notice put up at the lift lobby, reminding residents not to engage in high-rise littering.

[[nid:625615]]

Another resident, Adam, told Lianhe Zaobao that he would always hear the sound of something heavy hitting the ground every night before bedtime.

"In the early half of last year, someone threw a glass bottles and a mirror among others," he recalled, adding that he saw glass shards on the floor.

Once, Adam was nearly struck by a falling plastic bottle when he went downstairs to smoke.

Unhappy with the estate's cleanliness and safety, the resident and his family are preparing to move into a new house next month.

A 45-year-old resident Liu told Shin Min said she is concerned about the safety of others.

She added that kindergarten children frequent the playground near the block.

32 households on each floor, two rubbish chutes

Another resident, Shafiq, said that the high-rise littering often happens at night, and residents will avoid hanging out their laundry to dry.

"There are 32 households on every floor that share two rubbish chutes. Residents living on the other side of the block have to walk around three to four minutes in order to throw their rubbish," he told Lianhe Zaobao.

"I believe many people are too lazy to use the rubbish chutes at night, and decided to throw items down the block."

Shafiq said that he'd occasionally spot yellow stains on his clothes in the morning, adding that a used diaper once landed on his clean laundry.

Chen also said that he'd only hang his laundry in the afternoon, and would remove them during nightfall.

'I'm worried for the cleaners'

With so much littering, someone has to clean them up.

According to Chen, cleaners will clear the rubbish every morning, and when they encounter faeces, they will have to wash the area.

"When I walk pass the roof and see faeces on it, I always feel worried for the cleaners as that would be difficult to clean," he said.

According to the Housing Development Board (HDB), anyone convicted of throwing killer litter can be subjected to up to five years in prison or a fine, or both.

Residents who see any potential killer litter placed in common areas or inside HDB flats should contact their town council or call HDB's Branch Service Line at 1800-225-5432.

ALSO READ: Cleaner finds sanitary pads, curry and faeces flung out of windows: New rule curbing high-rise littering kicks in on July 1

wongdaoen@asiaone.com