As part of efforts to "raise the visibility of Corrective Work Order (CWO)" and to deter littering, the CWO vest design has been revamped.

This was announced in a press release by the National Environment Agency (NEA) on May 7.

Revamped vest in pink & yellow

The vest now features two colours: Luminous pink and yellow.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="710"] Photo by NEA[/caption]

The new colours supposedly make the vest more distinguishable as compared to its predecessor.

NEA stated that the old vest, which is completely luminous yellow, appeared similar to other safety vests worn by personnel carrying our work in public areas.

CWO

CWO was introduced in 1992 to increase littering offenders' awareness of the impact of littering and to allow them to experience the difficulties faced by cleaners.

Under the Environmental Public Health Act(EPHA), the maximum fine for a littering offence is S$2,000 for the first court conviction, S$4,000 for the second conviction and S$10,000 for the third and subsequent convictions.

Those caught littering face a fine of S$300 for their first offence.

Recalcitrant offenders prosecuted in court may be issued a fine and/ or a CWO, where they are made to pick up litter and clean up public areas for a minimum of three to a maximum 12 hours.

Significant increase in tickets for littering offences

According to the press release, there has been a spike in the number of CWOs and tickets for littering offences issued.

In 2018, 2,600 CWOs were issued, along with a total of 39,000 tickets issued for littering offences.

This is a marked increase from 2017, where the number of CWOs issued increased by about 30 percent, while the number of tickets issued increased by 21.9 percent.

In 2017, 2,000 CWOs were issued, and more than 32,000 tickets were issued for littering offences.

Top image via NEA