To raise awareness about the importance of clean public toilets within coffeeshops in Jurong, a new pilot programme was launched under the Keep Clean, Singapore campaign 2022 at NTUC Centre in One Marina Boulevard on 24 April 2022.
The initiative, Neighbourhood Toilets Community Group (NTCG), was started under the aegis of the Public Hygiene Council (PHC). It will bring together the Yuhua Citizens Consultative Committee, Jurong-Clementi Town Council and grassroots organisations, and enable the staff and customers of the participating coffeeshops to promote toilet etiquette. Working closely with the owners of the premises, the group will monitor the cleanliness of the toilets as well as report whether amenities, such as the flushing systems, dryers, soap dispensers and tissue rolls, are in working condition.
To start, three to four residents and grassroots leaders from the NTCG will be posted to three coffeeshops, located at Block 318 Jurong East Avenue 1, Block 494 Jurong West Street 41 and Block 429 Jurong West Avenue 1. The group will also create a more presentable and aesthetically pleasing atmosphere with the help of plants and floral arrangements.
Ms Grace Fu, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment, who was at the launch, shared that, thus far, more than 34,000 premises in Singapore have been given the SG Clean quality mark, a certification of hygiene standards awarded to organisations and businesses. The certification is an extension of the SG Clean campaign, which was launched in February 2020 to minimise the spread of Covid-19 and boost hygiene standards in public spaces.
At the event, the PHC introduced its new mascots that will promote the organisation’s three areas of focus, including tray return, proper disposal of trash and toilet etiquette.
Another highlight was SG Clean Day, a quarterly initiative that pauses sweeping from 6am to midnight in some public spaces at housing estates across 17 towns, dormitories, parks and gardens. The ongoing drive aims to create increased awareness about the amount of litter that could pile up if the cleaning personnel didn’t perform their functions.
The different initiatives are aimed at underscoring the collective responsibility that will aid civic authorities in keeping our surroundings clean and hygienic.