Cleanliness on the decline
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Jun 28, 2011 - ST Forum
I AM a Canadian who visited Singapore in 1995 for two weeks. It was the cleanest city I had ever been to. I came back a year later, and again was impressed by how immaculate the country was.
I returned on June 2 this year to enjoy Singapore's famous food and the Great Singapore Sale, but was very disappointed. The cleanliness of the city is gone. I spent days walking and taking public transport to various parts of the city, and noticed an appalling amount of paper and plastic rubbish in the parks and on the streets.
I asked those I met why there was a litter problem, and one common comment was that it was due to the people's attitude. Another common response was: 'It's the immigrants.'
A garbage worker said the problem had become worse in the last five years. A young woman said: 'Singapore has a lot of problems. We have to worry about our money and how to make a living; the litter is not our problem.'
I soon witnessed acts of littering and it infuriated me. A woman with her teenage son and daughter tossed a green plastic drink bag over a railing onto the grass. I yelled at her from down the street, but she just laughed. I saw a construction worker walking past a rubbish bin and placing a can on a wall a farther 10m away, before continuing on his way.
It really upsets me to see the once-pristine Singapore turning into just another grubby, trash-laden metropolis. This litter problem is a blight on Singapore's reputation, and I hope Singaporeans will address this disrespect for their country.
One way is for people to take all rubbish with them after leaving public places and place it in a trash bin, and not on the ground, a wall, a bench or in the park.
Community groups can get together to clean up the streets in their neighbourhoods. The city can promote cleanliness through mass media campaigns.
Keeping Singapore clean is the responsibility of everyone - citizens, immigrants and tourists.
James Cruikshank
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He yelled at the litter bugs...
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reminds me
you realised e no of dustbin is getting lesser n lesser?
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Hmmm, now sbst mentioned it... really like dustbin getting lesser and lesser...
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Originally posted by ^Acid^ aka s|aO^eH~:
Hmmm, now sbst mentioned it... really like dustbin getting lesser and lesser...
Less garbage bins, the more ppl litter, the more fines gov receive.
It's elementary.
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so tt ppl cannot put bombs inside
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IRA lor
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there aren't many dustbins in Japan and yet the place is spotless...
it is not about the number of dustbins, it's about social responsibility.. put the f**king sweet wrapper in your pocket until you can find a dustbin instead of throwing it on the floor... clean up your brat's mess... do not leave your McCrapper's Crappy Meal wrapper and box on the park bench, bring it with you..
is that too hard to do?
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Question is....do you love your country or not? Or if not, then impose fines to curb such prehistoric behaviour.
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Originally posted by Rock^Star:
Question is....do you love your country or not? Or if not, then impose fines to curb such prehistoric behaviour.
can you beat love into someone who doesn't care?
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black tape
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sad to say but I must agree with the writer
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i have to say the writer is right..
and the cause is clear.. it is not the gabrament, it is not the laws, it is not the cleaners, it is not the lack of dustbins..
it is the clear lack of 家教 (i hope i got the chinese right, there does not seem to be a good enough english word to fully explain the implications of the chinese words)
for those who do not read chinese, simply put, it means "what is taught by the family, their values" but the chinese terms go further than that...
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Originally posted by sbst275:
reminds me
you realised e no of dustbin is getting lesser n lesser?
I noticed that too...sometimes I walk 5 mins and still can't find a dustbin....especially in CBD areas....
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Originally posted by the Bear:
i have to say the writer is right..
and the cause is clear.. it is not the gabrament, it is not the laws, it is not the cleaners, it is not the lack of dustbins..
it is the clear lack of 家教 (i hope i got the chinese right, there does not seem to be a good enough english word to fully explain the implications of the chinese words)
for those who do not read chinese, simply put, it means "what is taught by the family, their values" but the chinese terms go further than that...
agree.
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another cause is population growth
more people, more litter
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Originally posted by Mr Milo:
another cause is population growth
more people, more litter
more ineducated people, more litter -
Last time, Changi airport used to be number 1.
Last time, Singapore used to be number in terms of most competitive workers in the world.
Last time, Singapore used to be called the "Clean and Green" country.
What happened?
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Upgrade the fine $500 to strokes of cane will solve it.
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Originally posted by the Bear:
can you beat love into someone who doesn't care?
Cannot. Like you said： 家教。People in the family are normally cut from the same cloth. Feel sorry for them.
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Originally posted by Yach:
Upgrade the fine $500 to strokes of cane will solve it.
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Originally posted by Yach:
Upgrade the fine $500 to strokes of cane will solve it.
If so, then the guy doing the whipping sure earn lots liao lorcan drive Rolls Royce car to work
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Originally posted by Mr Milo:
If so, then the guy doing the whipping sure earn lots liao lorcan drive Rolls Royce car to work
Btw, they are paid a basic salary + a variable component on the number of strokes they cane!
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I have to agree that the cleanliness of SG has gone down....probably becos lesser dustbin ?? I mean only one dustbin for an entire bus interchange??!
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Many Foreigners bring dirty habbits to SIngapore.
My flat got a FT although gt education but dirty.