National cleanliness campaign launched with mall videos, exhibitions, islandwide relay

To mark its 15th anniversary, PHC also launched the Cleanliness Champions Relay – a month-long initiative in which 20 partners such as schools and companies will take turns as symbolic baton holders across 15 locations, organising clean-up activities around Singapore.

The first leg was held at Kent Ridge Park on April 19, with subsequent activities planned in areas including Newton, Chua Chu Kang, Sengkang, West Coast Park and East Coast Park.

A survey of 411 Singapore residents conducted in March by PHC found that 74 per cent of respondents aged 30 and above felt public spaces are cleaner today than they were 15 years ago.

While many credited the Government (37 per cent) and cleaners (39 per cent), more than 99 per cent said sustained cleanliness depends on collective effort, including individual responsibility.

Respondents also highlighted ongoing concerns. The top issues cited were dirty public toilets (69.8 per cent), improperly discarded food and drink packaging (58.9 per cent), and dirty tables at food courts, hawker centres and coffee shops (44 per cent).

Speaking at the launch of the campaign, Coordinating Minister for Public Services Chan Chun Sing said Singapore’s journey to becoming one of the world’s cleanest cities was the result of deliberate, long-term effort, and did not happen by chance.

“It was the result of deliberate and strategic efforts championed by many of our founding leaders, including Mr Lee Kuan Yew,” he said to about 200 guests at Geneo.

Mr Chan, who is also Defence Minister, added that cleanliness is not just physical, but reflects “the kind of people and society we are and the aspirations we hold for the future”.

Singaporeans are stewards of their shared environment, and must recognise that “the spaces we inhabit are not ours alone”, he said, noting that each generation has a duty to pass on a better Singapore to the next generation.

Keeping Singapore clean also signals that the country values what it has and is committed to preserving it for future generations.

He added that a reputation for cleanliness also shapes how the world perceives Singapore, and its ability to deliver.

“Singapore’s reputation as a clean and well-organised city has shaped how the world perceives us. Investors and visitors alike see in our cleanliness a reflection of our meticulousness and ability to deliver on our promises,” said Mr Chan.

Keeping Singapore clean is also about personal responsibility and accountability, he said, noting that “every action that we take has consequences, and that we each have a role to play in shaping the future”.

Gongshang Primary School was one of several schools that took part in a PHC initiative in 2025, engaging all its 1,400 students, said principal Stella Kwan.

One effort is a daily one-minute clean-up at the end of the school day, marked by a bell not for dismissal, but for students to tidy their own spaces.

The habit has gone beyond the classroom. “When they see litter on the floor, they pick it up. That’s what we want them to carry into the community,” she said.