Marine Parade-Braddell Heights Town Council refutes BCRS can scavenging claim

In a Facebook post on Nov 1, the Marine Parade-Braddell Heights Town Council said it had seen the concerns raised over the video and thanked members of the public who had taken time to share their thoughts with them.

“We are also especially thankful for those who expressed kind words recognising the work of our workers,” the town council said.

In its statement, the town council said the workers were depositing containers from their own purchases, with some also given to them directly by residents. It added that the workers were also doing so after their working hours.

It said that its workers are not permitted to rummage through refuse or recycling bins to retrieve such items, and that it had emphasised this requirement to all conservancy workers since the BRCS scheme began.

Following the incident, the town council said it has reminded the workers to follow its operational guidelines, and advised them not to wear their work uniforms when carrying out personal BCRS activities outside working hours.

The town council said this is to avoid any misunderstanding that the workers are doing so in their capacity as its appointed workers.

“Our conservancy workers play an important role in keeping our neighbourhoods clean. They are also members of our community, and we hope residents can understand that they may participate in the recycling scheme in their own time, just like everyone else. At the same time, it is important that proper work practices are observed,” the town council said.

The town council said that it takes feedback seriously and will continue to work with its cleaning contractor to reinforce expectations.

“Thank you for your understanding and for working with us to keep our neighbourhood clean, safe and pleasant for everyone,” it added.

Earlier in October, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu, in a written parliamentary reply, said that rummaging through public refuse bins, removing items from them, and leaving or spilling waste on the ground are against the law, adding that the National Environment Agency will take action against those who have committed these offences.

Fu was responding to a question by Hazlina Abdul Halim, MP for East Coast GRC, who had asked what measures would prevent unhygienic practices under the BCRS, such as rummaging through rubbish bins.