Complaints about Smoking, Second-hand Smoke and Cigarette Butt Littering at HDB Estates

108 Mr Liang Eng Hwa asked the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) whether complaints against smoking, second-hand smoke and cigarette butt littering at HDB estates have increased in the past six months; and (b) whether the measures implemented so far have been effective.

Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien: Over the past six months, the National Environment Agency (NEA) received about 21,000 instances of feedback related to smoking, second-hand smoke and cigarette butt littering at HDB estates, up from about 14,000 during the same period in 2019, or a 50% increase. This increase is likely due to more residents working from home during the Circuit Breaker in April and May, a situation which has continued even post-Circuit Breaker. This has resulted in a higher concentration of people in residential estates and more activity taking place in homes, rather than workplaces.

NEA takes a multi-pronged approach, including education, surveillance and enforcement, to tackle unlawful smoking at common areas of residential estates such as common corridors, lift lobbies, void decks and staircase landings. Generally, smokers appreciate the rationale behind the smoking prohibition and most comply willingly after being advised by NEA, Town Councils and HDB. Sometimes, smokers forget and light up where they should not, and friendly reminders from family and friends are helpful to signal the positive social norms that smokers should abide by. Visual reminders put up by Advisers and community leaders, such as posters in lifts and HDB areas where there have been feedback on unlawful smoking, are also useful in reminding smokers to be considerate and entrenching positive social norms.

Where unlawful smoking feedback persists, NEA conducts surveillance of the affected block. Since January 2019, NEA has enhanced its surveillance capability with thermal cameras which can detect objects emitting high heat and capture images of the smoking offence. NEA uses the images along with other forms of evidence, such as public feedback, for investigations. Thus far, 270 thermal camera deployments have been made, resulting in enforcement actions being taken against about 100 offenders.

Overall, the number of enforcement actions taken by NEA against smoking and cigarette butt littering in HDB estates has increased to more than 8,400 in the past six months of 2020 compared to more than 7,700 in the same period last year. The increase in enforcement actions has been boosted by the use of thermal cameras for surveillance, as well as ramped up enforcement operations by NEA.

The issue of smoking is one that requires everyone to play their part. While NEA has improved its enforcement capability, it is not realistic for NEA to constantly monitor all smoking-prohibited places or respond immediately to every instance of feedback, given the fleeting nature of such acts. I urge smokers to be mindful of the health of others, and not light up in smoking-prohibited places. Families and friends of smokers, as well as the general public, can help reinforce the right social norms.