2 HDB residents fined S$700 each for high-rise littering
Two HDB flat owners were recently convicted of high-rise littering and fined S$700 each.
The pair were also the first two individuals convicted under the presumption clause, which came into effect last July.
In both cases, National Environment Agency’s (NEA) surveillance cameras had captured “acts of littering” from the respective flats.
Image courtesy of NEA
On 11 June, a 63-year-old man was fined S$700 for presumably throwing an object out the toilet window from his unit along Bedok North Street 2.
About two weeks later on 25 June, a 42-year-old woman was issued a similar fine for presumably throwing items such as “food waste and unknown liquid” from her unit along Ang Mo Kio Street 52.
The pair were first-time offenders, said NEA.
First cases convicted under new ‘presumption clause’
The presumption clause, which applied to both cases, was implemented last July amid a growing number of high-rise littering cases.
NEA said it received 29,700 instances of high-rise littering feedback annually from 2019 to 2021 — about a 43% increase from 2016 to 2018, which saw about 16,800 such feedback.
In light of this, NEA said “firmer enforcement action” was required to deter residents from littering from their flats.
Under the presumption clause, registered owners or tenants of residential units, which littering acts were committed from, will be presumed to have committed the offence.
Owners and tenants may rebut the presumption by providing evidence that they were elsewhere when the offence was committed.
They may also provide the identity of the person they believe committed the offence.
Also read: Laundry of Serangoon households soiled with sanitary pads, faeces & food from high-rise littering
Laundry of Serangoon households soiled with sanitary pads, faeces & food from high-rise littering
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Featured image courtesy of NEA.
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