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New schemes for a cleaner, greener Singapore

This article is more than 12 months old

Efforts include CleanSG Day, where people become cleaners for a day

A new initiative to encourage people to clean their community areas will begin next month.

Organised by the Public Hygiene Council, the Sustainable Bright Spot programme will be launched in stages across 12 constituencies. It was one of three fresh efforts announced yesterday by Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Masagos Zulkifli.

"The Sustainable Bright Spot programme is aimed at encouraging residents to keep their housing estates clean," said Mr Masagos.

"The hard truth is that many of us are still too dependent on an army of 58,000 workers who clean up our housing estates, roads, public walkways and waterways every day."

Awareness campaigns and activities will be implemented in estates to encourage people not to drop litter and dispose of waste properly.

"It is important that we continue to build a culture of reducing our waste, cleaning up after ourselves and binning our litter properly," Mr Masagos added.

Twelve residents' networks have committed to be part of this programme.

The Public Hygiene Council will also work with organisations, residential estates and communities to hold a CleanSG Day next month, when people will be cleaners for a day.

While real cleaners take a day off to rest, residents, along with employees and patrons of 134 McDonald's outlets, 10 parks and three Kopitiam outlets, will clean up after meals or dispose of rubbish in common areas.

The third effort to be made this year by the council will be to establish a network of interest groups to not only reduce waste in 2019, which has been designated the Year Towards Zero Waste, but also to make Singapore cleaner and greener than before.

This network is named Rise - an acronym for the words reach, inspire, synergise and empower. The network comprises 24 non-governmental organisations, student eco groups, uniform groups and public agencies.

These environmental, social welfare and educational groups, with the support of the National Environment Agency and the National Parks Board, will work together to conduct clean-up activities across the island.

The Rise network will also collect data on waste and litter, to map out littering hot spots, major problem areas, as well as the cleanest areas in Singapore.

"This will contribute to us knowing more about where we can best come in and help, and what more we can do about waste management in Singapore," said Public Hygiene Council chairman Edward D'Silva.

Separately, Nee Soon East will be launching its own zero-waste masterplan. Announced by Nee Soon GRC MP Louis Ng on Saturday, it spans two years, with a focus on several areas: plastic and single-use items, paper, carbon emissions, e-waste and food waste.

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