Woman digs through trash bin for drink cans using hand & tongs, divides netizens
A Facebook video of a woman rummaging through a garbage bin in Jurong West for drink cans sparked debate among netizens.
After digging up several cans with her hands and tongs, she replaced the lid of the bin and headed to the next one.
Woman tucks umbrella under arm and digs through bin for cans
The original poster (OP), 44-year-old Andy, told MS News that the incident happened at about 2pm on 24 Oct.
He was at Hong Kah Point in Jurong West waiting for the rain to subside. Just then, he noticed a woman walking towards a trash bin.
Initially, I thought nothing of it, but shortly afterward, I saw her removing the lids from the bins, at which point I realised, ‘ah, this is what she was trying to do’.
Source: 첸지안 on Facebook
The woman removed the bin’s lid and began digging through the trash with an umbrella tucked under one arm to shield her from the rain.
Collected drink cans with bare hands & tongs, replaced bin lid
Leaning down, she grabbed a can and tossed it into a large plastic bag filled with other drink containers.
Source: 첸지안 on Facebook
At one point, the woman picked up a plastic bag and took out two cans.
She also used tongs to dig through the garbage bin to find more.
Source: 첸지안 on Facebook
After she was done, the woman put the lid back onto the bin.
In total, she found six cans, collecting five of them.
Source: 첸지안 on Facebook
Other passers-by did not pay attention to woman’s actions
“I felt a deep sense of empathy that she had to stoop so low just to earn the five S$0.10,” Mr Andy told MS News.
He suspected she was collecting cans to recycle in the Beverage Container Return Scheme (BCRS), which grants S$0.10 for each eligible drink container.
I felt she did not deserve to go through all of this, but there was nothing I could do.
Source: 첸지안 on Facebook
Mr Andy added that “no one paid heed to her actions”. Other passers-by allegedly glanced at her briefly before carrying on.
After the video, he saw her moving off out of sight. Mr Andy suspected that she did not stop at one bin, although he could not confirm it.
Several netizens call woman unhygienic
The post received more comments than likes, a surefire sign of divided opinions.
Several netizens called the woman’s actions “unhygienic”, noting that she did not wear a mask or gloves.
They questioned if it was worth the S$0.10 to potentially compromise their health with germs.
Source: Facebook
Others instead told the OP to “let her be” and to “have a heart”.
One commenter suggested that the woman might need the money and was using her own effort.
Source: Facebook
OP says he intended to raise awareness about issue rather than shame woman
Mr Andy agreed, explaining to MS News that he did not confront her.
He clarified that he had no intention of shaming or embarrassing the woman.
Instead, Mr Andy said he wanted to raise public awareness among Singaporeans about the increasing frequency of such incidents.
“These individuals could easily be your mother, sister, sister-in-law, or aunt,” he said.
Please educate them against retrieving items from the rubbish bin, and encourage them to prioritise their personal well-being over a mere 10 cents.
Source: Zac Price on Facebook
Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu stated on 6 Oct that it is illegal to rummage through public refuse bins and take items from them.
She added that the National Environment Agency (NEA) would take action against offenders.
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Featured image adapted from 첸지안 on Facebook.
