More than 4,000 cleaners treated to lunch
Dr Vivian Balakrishnan (centre) greeting cleaners during the celebrations at Holland-Bukit Panjang yesterday. Photo: Ernest Chua
SINGAPORE — As cleaner Lee Choy Eng, 51, sweeps the Ulu Pandan housing estate each day, she sometimes receives hostile stares or sees people holding their noses as they walk past her.
Ms Lee, who has been a cleaner for the past 10 years, said: “I feel very sad whenever a passer-by does that.”
Yesterday, Ms Lee and her peers were treated in a more appreciative manner, at the first Cleaners’ Appreciation Day organised by all 15 People Action’s Party (PAP) town councils. More than 4,000 cleaners across Singapore were not only treated to lunch, they also received a S$20 NTUC FairPrice voucher. “It is nice to feel appreciated once in a while,” Ms Lee said.
The celebrations were held in each town council’s respective estates. The event also coincided with the Public Hygiene Council’s nationwide cleaning initiative, Operation WE Clean Up!, which saw Members of Parliament lead their residents in a litter-picking exercise in about 70 precincts islandwide. The exercise also involved staff from the PUB, National Environment Agency and Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources.
In some estates such as Yuhua, the cleaners were given a day off, as part of Cleaners’ Appreciation Day.
About 190kg of non-recyclable litter was picked up in the estate, while in Bukit Panjang and Cashew, 155kg was picked up. In total, more than 7,000kg of litter was collected yesterday.
The idea of giving a day off to cleaners at various town councils and mobilising residents to clean up their neighbourhoods was floated by Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Vivian Balakrishnan during the Committee of Supply debate earlier this year.
Dr Teo Ho Pin, coordinating chairman for the PAP town councils, in his speech yesterday, commended the cleaners and noted efforts in recent years to boost cleaners’ welfare and wages, such the implementation of the Progressive Wage Model as a licensing condition for cleaning companies. The use of equipment, such as hot water jets for cleaning corridors and scrubbers, has also improved cleaners’ productivity, he added.
Nonetheless, residents must play their part and help keep estates clean. “Please continue to treat public areas as your homes … Last year, we had a few (dengue) clusters in our town and most of the times, it is attributed to people throwing rubbish into bushes and into dark corners, and sometimes our cleaners can’t see some of this litter. As a result, we have problems with ponding, stagnation and dengue breeding,” said Dr Teo.
Cleaning supervisor Tan Hock Chye, who is in charge of cleanliness in the Holland-Bukit Panjang Town Council estates, said there is a need for public education, especially among the youth. “I still see people throwing their litter, such as cans, all over the place … They are not used to throwing their rubbish into the litterbins.”
