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SINGAPORE – Changes to the law on cleaning standards are expected to be passed in Parliament next month to help the country deal with Covid-19 and other health risks, Sustainability and Environment Minister Grace Fu said. Saturday (September 19).
He said the amendments to the law are part of efforts to strengthen Singapore’s environmental public health resilience against the current pandemic and dengue outbreak, as well as future threats to public health.
Changes to the Act include the implementation of mandatory cleaning standards, such as a regime that specifies the frequency of routine cleaning and deep cleaning for disinfection. Environmental sanitation controls will also be improved and the owners of the facilities will be held accountable.
The proposed changes were announced earlier this year when Singapore was in the early stages of its fight against Covid-19.
The new rules will be progressively implemented starting next year, starting with the highest risk sectors with a high influx and areas with vulnerable users, such as day care centers, said Ms Fu, who spoke at a virtual launch of the Hygiene Council Public (PHC) month-long Keep Clean campaign, Singapore.
The annual campaign encourages Singaporeans to take charge of cleaning shared public spaces, which has become more relevant amid the current Covid-19 pandemic and dengue outbreak.
This year’s event aims to highlight that Singapore is in a “war on garbage”, by making Singaporeans recognize that garbage is not just an aesthetic problem, it can also be a threat to public health.
Ms. Fu also gave an update on the number of facilities that have received the SG Clean quality mark, which means whether the operators have met certain hygiene standards.
By the end of August, more than 22,000 stores in Singapore have received the quality mark, he said.
“This brand will be important for companies, such as hotels and restaurants, that want to win back their customers by assuring them of the measures taken to safeguard their health,” Ms Fu said.
“Ensuring the cleanliness of our public spaces is our shared responsibility. Beyond what the government and facility owners can do, members of the public – that is, we – must help keep Singapore clean.”
He cited the latest Public Cleanliness Satisfaction Survey released by the Singapore Management University on Friday, where 93 percent of respondents indicated they were satisfied with the cleanliness of public spaces they recently visited. The survey was based on responses collected from last December through April, before the breaker started.
However, the findings shed light on the Republic’s reliance on cleaning services. About 87 percent of those surveyed acknowledged that Singapore is clean just because of the efficiency of its cleaning services.
On Saturday, the essential work of cleaners was also recognized by the PHC, which shared that it is unsustainable simply to depend on cleaners to keep the country clean. Singapore’s clean and green image is due in large part to the country’s military of more than 59,000 cleaners.
At the event, four of them had the opportunity to model the winning uniform designs created by students from the Temasek Polytechnic School of Design. The students had been tasked with creating uniforms that were comfortable and functional, but also instilled a greater sense of pride.
In her speech, Ms. Fu said, “They are our essential workers and front-line heroes. They have worked hard, especially during this pandemic, to keep our public spaces clean, sanitized and litter-free.”
The Covid-19 situation has provided the ecosystem services industry with an opportunity to transform, he added.
This includes training the cleaning workforce through a new placement and training program for cleaning specialists offering sanitation services, which will improve the career prospects of workers and help them earn higher wages. There are also courses to ensure they are trained to protect against Covid-19 and other public health threats while on the job.
Ms. Fu also urged the public to improve to keep Singapore clean.
“Our level of public hygiene reflects who we are as a people,” he said. “By taking proactive steps and making meaningful adjustments to our daily lives, we can make a difference.”
As part of the campaign, the public is encouraged to carry out small-scale garbage collection activities, in groups of no more than five people, on their properties, beaches or parks.
The PHC had originally planned to launch SG Clean Day on Saturday. It is an island-wide initiative aimed at stopping public cleaning for a day and encouraging residents of all public housing estates to participate in the cleaning activities.
However, this had to be shelved due to the ongoing pandemic.
Elsewhere, many volunteers from around the world, including Singapore, participated in the Alliance to End Plastic Waste initiative to remove garbage from the environment.
Unlike previous cleanup efforts, this two-week All Together global cleanup campaign, which started on Saturday, encourages participants to take photos of each trash removed and geotag the images in a smartphone app called Litterati, It will analyze and track the progress of the marked garbage amount.
PHC President Edward D’Silva said that cleaners are the “true heroes” in keeping the city clean.
“Their contributions are significant, but there is an inherent complacency in Singaporeans today who rely too heavily on cleaners to clear up the mess we often leave behind,” he said. “Singaporeans can do more by fostering a culture of shared responsibility and taking strong responsibility for cleanliness in public spaces.”
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