Choa Chu Kang residents sound alarm over glass, ceramic thrown from high-rise units: 'It is not the first time'
Residents in a Choa Chu Kang HDB block have sounded the alarm about persistent high-rise littering, prompting authorities to cordon off affected areas, even as a Member of Parliament for the area urged residents to come forward with information.
Acting Minister for Transport and Senior Minister of State for Finance Jeffrey Siow, who is also an MP for Chua Chu Kang GRC, wrote on Facebook on Nov 28 that objects such as glass and ceramic items had been thrown from the upper floors of Block 802A, Keat Hong Close.
Stressing that this was not the first time such incidents had occurred, Mr Siow urged residents with any information on the culprits to report it to the police or the National Environment Agency (NEA).
Residents confirm multiple incidents over the past two months
When reporters from Shin Min Daily News visited the block the following afternoon, they found a notice at a lift lobby warning residents to "beware of high-rise littering". A section on the ground floor had also been cordoned off, with shattered pieces of glass and ceramic scattered across the area.
A notice put up by the town council added that it has received multiple reports of killer litter.
Residents said high-rise littering had been a problem, with multiple incidents occurring over the past two months.
Mr Pang (transliterated), a 62-year-old electrician, said that his wife heard a noise outside their window in the early hours of Nov 26, before discovering a glass jar near their air-conditioner compressor.
When she went downstairs, she saw more shattered glass on the ground floor. "After I found out, I immediately informed the town council," he said.
Another resident, Mr Ng (transliterated), 49, told reporters he was worried about his children's safety, after repeated incidents of glass and ceramic objects being thrown down over the past month.
A third resident, who declined to be named, said he was carrying his one-year-old child out of the flat recently when a piece of glass suddenly fell from above.
Offenders face up to $10,000 fine
According to the NEA website, annual feedback on high-rise littering amounts to an average of 28,000 cases. The agency has also deployed about 2,100 cameras in 2024, leading to approximately 500 enforcement actions against high-rise littering.
Under the Environmental Public Health Act, any individual committing a littering offence is liable to a fine of up to $2,000 for a first conviction, $4,000 for a second conviction, and $10,000 for subsequent convictions.
Stomp has reached out to the police and Choa Chu Kang Town Council for comment.
