Written Reply to Parliamentary Question on illegal waste dumping

Question:

Mr Fadli Fawzi: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) for each year since 2020, what is the number of reports of illegal dumping of waste received by the National Environment Agency; (b) what are the current measures NEA adopts to reduce the incidence of these behaviours in residential areas; and (c) how NEA tracks the effectiveness of these measures.

Answer:

Improper disposal of waste in residential areas, including bulky waste items, constitutes a littering offence under the Environmental Public Health Act 1987. From 2020 to 2025, the National Environment Agency (NEA) received an average of about 4,500 feedback per year for improper disposal of bulky waste.

NEA takes a multi-pronged approach to deter improper waste disposal in residential areas. This includes working with Town Councils, which manage the cleaning of HDB estates, to educate residents on proper disposal practices. Town Councils may also deploy larger bins for residents to dispose of their bulky waste. Residents may check with their Town Councils if they provide free removal for certain number of bulky items each month. For persistent hotspots, NEA may deploy surveillance cameras for enforcement purposes.

NEA tracks the effectiveness of these measures through feedback trends, enforcement numbers and recurrence rates at identified hotspots.