A resident at Block 409 Saujana Road in Bukit Panjang lodged a complaint after found out that another resident has apparently been using animal faeces to fertilise his plants placed along the common corridor outside his unit.

According to the complainant, she made the discovery after noticing "an unbearable faeces smell" whenever she stepped out of the elevator, which made her worry about the environment and hygiene at the block, reported Shin Min Daily News.

When Shin Min reporters visited the HDB block on Jul. 22 morning, they saw several foam and plastic boxes used for growing herbs and vegetables along the common corridor on one of the floors.

Upon approaching the plants, they immediately noticed a strong stench.

Residents noticed stench months ago

A resident, who declined to be named, told the Chinese daily that he noticed the smell as early as three months ago, which would become "particularly noticeable" one day per week.

As a result, he would shut his doors and windows even though he usually left them open.

Similarly, another resident who lives on the same floor as the owner of the plants said she switched to taking the stairs because she did not want to pass by the plants on the way to the lift lobby.

She added that the owner had been planting the vegetables for years, but she only noticed the stinky smell in recent months.

A third resident, who lives above the owner of the plants, shared that they initially thought the stinky smell came from a dead rat.

They also suggested the owner of the plants could move his plants to a garden at the HDB estate, which is designated to provide a space for residents like him to carry out gardening activities.

Plant owner previously used chicken manure as fertilisers

The owner of the plants, surnamed Chen (transliteration), confirmed with Shin Min that he had used chicken manure as fertilisers previously.

However, after the authorities asked him to change his fertiliser last week, the 70-year-old began collecting water used to rinse fish, which he said he would eat twice per week, and used the waste water as fertilisers instead.

Chen added he had also bought organic fertiliser in pellet form.

While Chen acknowledged that using fertilisers for his plants caused a stinky smell "sometimes", he did not think it would pose a hygiene problem for the residents as the odour would "dissipate quickly", and he would "maintain the cleanliness" of his "small vegetable garden".

He added that he would gift the herbs he planted to his family members.

Town council asked Chen to remove plants from common areas

The Holland-Bukit Panjang Town Council confirmed with Mothership that it was alerted to the "unpleasant odour emanating from plants and soil", which has been "affecting the air quality at the common corridor and staircase landing" at the HDB block.

"Upon receiving these reports, our property team has been engaging the resident in question since June 2024," said the town council.

While Chen had "temporarily ceased using fertiliser on the plants" during the town council's house visits, he "remained uncooperative" when approached by its property team subsequently.

As a result, the town council issued him an advisory on Jul. 19 "to remove the plants from the common areas".

"To ensure compliance, we are planning to engage the resident again following the advisory served last week," the statement read.

In the meantime, the town council said it would intensify its inspection efforts and "actively engage with residents" to foster "a cooperative approach to maintaining a hygienic and pleasant communal environment".

"We would like to take this opportunity to enlist the help and cooperation of all residents in our community. By working together, we can ensure that our shared spaces remain clean, enjoyable, and free from unpleasant odours. Together, we can create a more harmonious and enjoyable living environment for everyone," added the town council.

Top images via Shin Min Daily News