SINGAPORE - Several MPs are urging residents to do their part as a manpower shortage has left estates with fewer cleaners.
This is even as more garbage - such as food and online delivery packages - is being generated as people spend most of their time at home during the Covid-19 phase two (heightened alert) period.
This comes as some migrant workers have returned home and replacements are difficult to get due to tighter border controls here.
“I know most residents are law-abiding and considerate, but for the few black sheep in the community, I hope they can be reminded to do their part and keep the estate clean,” Mr Baey Yam Keng, an MP for Tampines GRC, told The Straits Times on Saturday (May 29).
In a Facebook post on Friday, he said that about 60 per cent of the migrant workers of Tampines North’s new cleaning contractor are unable to enter Singapore to start work.
“The cleaning contractor is therefore facing severe manpower shortage and operational challenges,” he said, adding that the new contractor took over on April 1.
Mr Baey said the remaining 40 per cent of the contractor's migrant workers are doing their best to keep the neighbourhood’s common areas clean, even as they have to clear more garbage than before.
There have also been more instances of trash being disposed of inappropriately, he said.
In an incident, a resident living on the third floor of a block had complained that his rubbish chute was overflowing.
When the town council investigated, it found that someone had thrown laundry poles down the chute, clogging it. Rubbish became stuck and piled up as a result.
Mr Lim Biow Chuan, the MP for Mountbatten and chairman of Marine Parade Town Council, said manpower has been stretched during this period, with the increase in garbage volume.
He highlighted the issues that could arise from indiscriminate littering. Litter such as food waste could attract vermin, while food containers could be receptacles for water, turning into mosquito breeding grounds, he said.
Garbage piled up in corridors can also pose a fire hazard, he added.
“(Discarded food and) food packages... these attract cockroaches, rats and other vermin, making the environment unsightly and unhygienic,” said Mr Lim.
While there has not been an increase in dengue cases in his constituency, “you just need one instance and you can get a lot of mosquitoes from one site”, he added.
According to the National Environment Agency (NEA) website, there were three red dengue clusters - areas with 10 or more cases of dengue- as at Friday. These are in Rosewood Drive, Tuas South Boulevard and Cashew Terrace.
Mr Liang Eng Hwa, the MP for Bukit Panjang, said the manpower issues are faced not just by cleaning contractors, but also contractors doing maintenance, repair work and horticulture.
With more rubbish to clear, the frequency of waste collection has increased, which means more work for the cleaners.
Mr Liang said some hot spots for litter have been identified, and the NEA has come in to conduct surveillance and enforcement.
“We are also looking at our own ways to do surveillance, such as with mobile (closed-circuit television cameras), to monitor the hot spots,” he added.
Mr Lim said his town council is working with the NEA to step up enforcement against high-rise littering.
“But you can only do so much with enforcement. We hope our residents do their part too and not take the cleaners for granted or we will never have a clean estate,” he said.
“We hope to send the message that clearing rubbish is something everyone has a responsibility to do.”
Mr Kane Tan, a resident in Nee Soon East, said his estate is quite clean, although he does notice littering and some bulky rubbish at times.
The 45-year-old project manager said the clearing of rubbish is everyone’s responsibility and that there could be more efforts to educate people not to litter. Technology could also be tapped to decrease household waste, he added.
Mr Nicholas Makoto, 28, who lives in Shunfu, said he has not been producing more garbage, save for the packaging from a few more online deliveries.
He is concerned about items such as food packets and drink cans that are left around, as well as litter thrown out of windows.
“For the workers who have to pick up these stray pieces of trash - that just hinders them from doing their job smoothly, on top of the added work they are given,” said Mr Makoto, a freelance animator.
He added that perhaps the authorities could conduct patrols more frequently to deter people from littering.
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