Anti-Littering Campaign at Zhenghua

Oct 26, 2017

Greenridge Primary School, Holland-Bukit Panjang Town Council, NEA, PA

Littering, a common issue in many constituencies, is an eyesore to the environment and can also result in hygiene, health and safety issues. To build a litter-free environment, grassroots volunteers from Zhenghua Citizens’ Consultative Committee came up with an innovative anti-littering campaign that involved everyone in the community.

Far from being a one-off event, the campaign went on for 9 months. The movement saw the involvement of residents, Zhenghua-Greenridge Residents’ Committee (RC), Greenridge Primary School, National Environment Agency and Holland-Bukit Panjang Town Council, in a massive clean-up of Zhenghua.

The multi-faceted campaign leveraged social media and direct engagement to raise awareness on cleanliness. Social media was identified as convenient platform whereby residents could feedback or suggestions to improve the environment. Through Facebook, the volunteers reached out to interested parties and identified littering hotspots with the help of the RC. The agencies also used Facebook to organise a Cleaner’s Appreciation Day to inculcate a culture of gratitude, and also promote the act of binning litter as a positive social value. Some 400 participants including residents, volunteers, and Greenridge Primary School teachers and students also got their hands dirty in a ‘Picking Up Litter’ initiative.

The campaign not only raised awareness on cleanliness in the neighbourhood but also brought residents from all walks of life together for a common cause and fostered civic-mindedness and personal responsibility for a clean environment. It also underscored agencies’ care for residents by addressing their needs and concerns. Above all, it brought to light the hard work of cleaners who keep the environment clean and green every day.

The anti-littering campaign brought the community together for a common cause and fostered civic-mindedness in residents.