Punggol Sumang Lane residents claim faeces & trolleys thrown from block, high-rise littering a daily problem

Residents claimed most of the items were thrown at night.

Daniel Seow | May 03, 2023, 02:16 AM

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Residents of Block 223A Sumang Lane in Punggol claimed that their block has become a hotbed for rampant high-rise littering and described the area around their building as a "dumping ground".

They told Shin Min Daily News that they have seen glass bottles, used sanitary napkins, faeces, and even an entire shopping trolley fall from the building.

Used pads, curry & a shopping trolley

Chen (transliteration), 36, told Shin Min that the littering problem was ongoing after he moved into the block of rental flats two years ago.

He claimed it has been a daily occurrence since then to witness high-rise litter.

He said people in the block would always throw down "all kinds of rubbish" in the wee hours and the waste will be all over the place when day breaks.

Previously, he had seen plastic bags filled with rubbish, used sanitary napkins, and food thrown down.

"Once, someone threw a packet of curry. I went to check on it and found it was still steaming," he quipped.

On the morning of Apr. 29 , Chen was showering when he heard a loud crash outside his window.

When he looked out, he saw that a shopping trolley had landed on the grass verge.

Photo via Shin Min Daily News

Faeces from the sky

While throwing rubbish was one thing, Chen claimed that human waste was also thrown downstairs every morning since eight months ago.

He described the faeces occasionally landing on the ground, together with other waste splattering on the roof of the covered walkways.

Chen said it was tough for the cleaners to clean the rubbish and waste, and they cannot do much about the faeces on the roof.

"Every time I walk by, I'm afraid (that the faeces will drop down)," Chen noted.

"I don't dare to hang my laundry out at night": Resident

Another resident shared with Shin Min that the "peak hour" of high-rise littering was during the night.

He avoids hanging his laundry overnight — after he once found suspicious yellow stains on his clothes and when diapers landed on his clothing on another occasion.

Resident claims he had enough and will move out

One resident who had lived in the block for four years claimed he has had enough of it and decided to move out.

Adam, 55, told Shin Min that every night after he goes to bed, there would always be noises of "heavy objects" hitting the ground.

He said, for example, that sometime in early 2022, someone threw things like bottles and mirrors, and there were glass shards all over the ground around the block.

He claimed he was almost hit by a plastic bottle while smoking downstairs.

Warning signs put up at lift lobby

Another resident expressed concerns about killer litter.

She pointed out that there is a playground at the foot of the block and claimed the nearby kindergarten teachers often bring children to play there.

The authorities have since put up a sign at the lift lobby to warn people about high-rise littering.

Photo via Shin Min Daily News

The sign highlighted that anyone who injures or kills others with high-rise litter may be found guilty of a rash act and face jail time.

It raised the example of the Australian man Andrew Gosling, who was jail for killing a 73-year-old grandfather with a wine bottle he threw out of the seventh floor of a condominium in Outram.

Top image via Google Street View & Shin Min Daily News