The Housing & Development Board (HDB) will be embarking on a public education campaign over the next few months to combat killer litter with a zero-tolerance approach.

According to the HDB, on-going enforcement have reduced warnings issued for killer litter incidences by about 40% from about 7,800 per month in 2007 to about 4,650 per month in 2008. However, there is an increase to about 4,900 warnings per month in the first eight months of 2009.

Some examples of killer litter highlighted by the HDB include items hung from bamboo pole holders, items placed horizontally on the bamboo pole holders, items placed on parapet wall and/or window ledge, and items hung from ceiling above the parapet wall.

Here are the 'do’s and don’ts that residents can observe to help eradicate killer litter:

Do’s

·         Remove / relocate objects that are placed in a dangerous manner;

·         Encourage your family, friends and neighbours to remove objects that are placed in a dangerous manner;

·         Observe proper use of bamboo pole holders (e.g. not placing bamboo poles in a “criss-cross” manner)

·         Share with your family, friends and neighbours the consequences of potential killer litter

·         Alert your Town Council when you see instances of killer litter

Dont’s

·         Do not place objects on the ledges of windows / balconies;

·         Do not place objects on the parapet walls of common corridors;

·         Do not hang items above the parapet walls / balconies;

·         Do not throw objects from your flat or from the common areas;

·         Do not tie / hang objects from the bamboo pole holders (e.g. shopping trolleys, cooking woks, bicycles, etc)

·        Do not place objects in a manner that may endanger the safety of the general public

HDB said that they will not hesitate to take strong action against recalcitrant offenders, including bringing offenders to court and in serious cases, compulsorily acquiring the flat.