Is this really Singapore? Pasir Ris shoreline covered with rubbish

A STOMPer was shocked to discover that the shoreline of Pasir Ris Beach was littered with trash when she brought her children to play at the beach.

The STOMPer said:

"I found it hard to believe that this is a Singapore beach!

"We brought our kids to Pasir Ris Park this evening (Dec 20).

"The park seems to be a distant shadow of its heydays.

"The kids playground was in bad shape (part of it under renovation), so we ventured to the beach and was greeted with so much trash along the shoreline.

"It's unbelievable!

"In my life, I've never seen a Singapore beach so littered with trash."

The beaches and mangroves of Pasir Ris are among the sites visited by volunteers with the International Coastal Cleanup, Singapore (ICCS). I thought it would be relevant to highlight the data collected from the cleanup sessions held at these sites earlier this year.

Pasir Ris Beach







ICCS volunteers at Pasir Ris Beach 6;
(Photos by Adrian Mak and Christopher Chew, from habitatnews)

Sungei Tampines mangroves






ICCS volunteers at Sungei Tampines;
(Photos by Daniel Edpan, from habitatnews)

Sungei Loyang mangroves




On another note, I wonder if it's possible to trace the possible sources of the manmade trash washing up on the shores of Pasir Ris; it's still not known what proportion of this garbage might originate from Johor or Pulau Ubin, or whether littering in mainland Singapore might be a more important contributor to this problem. It also begs the question as to whether some of this rubbish might be coming from offshore fish farms and other aquaculture operations. Is the waste disposal infrastructure for these facilities adequate?

We often like to point fingers at neighbouring countries for the trash that is deposited on our beaches, but perhaps we need to examine our own habits. As Mr Liak Teng Lit, chairman of the Public Hygiene Council, said in a recent article, "We should be known as a cleaned city, not a clean city. Calling ourselves a clean city, that's a joke."