Change litterbugs’ mentality to get to the roots of the problem

Letter from KENNETH LIM CHUN TAT
ON A recent school trip, I visited various places in the Central Business District (CBD) such as the Supreme Court and the Old Parliament House. What I realised about this area is that it is virtually litter-free.

This got me thinking: Why is it cleaner than most other parts of Singapore?
One reason is that people may perceive the CBD as a place of high security and have the impression that those who litter in the area will likely be caught.

But does this mean we can litter elsewhere? I don’t think so. Everyone knows it is wrong to
itter but the problem lies with those who believe that so long as they are not caught, it is acceptable to do so.

One country that I can think of that is almost litter-free is Japan. There, if you walk along the streets, you will realise there are only a small number of dustbins, much fewer as compared to Singapore. Some Singaporeans’ mentality is, “I can litter as long as there is nobody around”, while the mentality of the Japanese is, “If there is no dustbin around, I will go and find one”.

We have to educate the public on the negative effects of littering. We should not forget that littering is the root of many problems, ranging from killer litter to pollution.

This article first appeared in Today on 1st June 2007

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