'Like this also can get fine': Man stunned at $300 fine for leaving cigarette butt on top of rubbish bin
A man says that when he extinguished a cigarette butt atop a rubbish bin, he was fined $300 for littering.
Sathais, a 30-year-old ad-hoc security officer, told Stomp that the incident occurred on Nov 11 along Stirling Road in Queenstown.
In a TikTok video which included the caption "Like this also can get fine", Mr Sathais recounted that he was walking towards the MRT station after work when he stopped briefly to extinguish his cigarette, leaving the butt atop a dustbin.
He was then stopped by a National Environment Agency (NEA) officer, who informed him that he should have discarded the cigarette in the rubbish bin, which did not have an ashtray on top of it.
Mr Sathais was eventually fined $300 for littering.
"I thought it was normal to leave the butt on top of the dustbin to avoid a fire, but I'm shocked to know that I was wrong," he told Stomp, adding that he has submitted an appeal against the fine.
According to the NEA website, the agency takes "strict enforcement action against litterbugs" and offenders may face a composition fine of $300 for their first offence.
Under the Environmental Public Health Act, it is prohibited to dispose of rubbish in public places unless it is placed inside a dustbin.
Netizens support man, others urge for clearer regulations
The post had garnered 92,500 views and 2,200 likes at press time.
Some commenters defended Mr Sathais, suggesting that he appeal the fine since it was his first offence. "This is ridiculous. I also had the same experience like you, $300 fine. If I knew, I'd just throw inside and let the bin get burned," said one user.
Several netizens suggested that there should be designated smoking zones with proper ash trays, adding that many are unaware of most of the rules around smoking.
Others expressed a different view. "The top of the bin is not an ash tray," one netizen remarked.
"Yes, you have to throw it inside the bin. Not place on top of the bin. If not, everyone will start putting their rubbish on top of the bin," another explained.
