Public Hygiene Council partners Sentosa to protect local waters beyond just beach cleanups

Marking its 15th anniversary, the Public Hygiene Council (PHC) is officially extending Singapore's national cleanliness drive from urban residential estates directly to coastal shores and marine environments.

On Saturday (Sept 26), PHC formalised a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) during a dialogue titled Our Shared Responsibility: Creating a Cleaner Singapore Through Collective Action, held at the Singapore Oceanarium Research and Learning Centre.

The strategic partnership aims to tackle the critical connection between land-based litter and ocean pollution, ensuring that Singapore's public cleanliness efforts do not stop at the coastline.

How is land litter an ocean problem?

Speaking to media at the event, PHC Executive Director Assoc Prof Christina Liew emphasised that litter dropped on urban streets and in residential neighbourhoods does not stay in place. During heavy rain, uncollected rubbish in inland estates can travel through stormwater drains and drainage networks directly into the sea.

She noted that Singapore's waters face a dual threat: floating marine flotsam washing in from overseas, and local land litter washed out through urban drainage networks. Furthermore, because floating ocean waste is carried by currents across maritime boundaries into neighbouring waters, keeping Singapore clean is also a matter of regional respect and environmental stewardship.

The partnership between PHC and RWS arrives as part of ongoing efforts to help residents translate high environmental awareness into consistent daily habits.

According to PHC's Keep Singapore Clean survey conducted in March 2026 engaging over 400 residents, over 99 per cent of respondents acknowledged the importance of collective and individual contributions in maintaining public cleanliness.

However, PHC noted a persistent disconnect between knowing basic daily habits - such as returning trays and wiping spills, to consistently practicing them.

And unlike inland public spaces, which benefit from routine surveillance and formal monitoring by the National Environment Agency (NEA), coastal areas lack routine monitored enforcement.

As a result, protecting local beaches relies heavily on civic responsibility, interest groups, and ground-up volunteer action.

Beyond just litter picking

Different from standard beach cleanups that focus strictly on picking up trash, the PHC-RWS partnership incorporates structured education, scientific research, and capability building.

A flagship initiative under the MOU is a customised Train-the-Trainers programme focusing on coastal cleanliness. The initiative will equip over 200 corporate members from PHC's Corporate Action Network (CAN) and thousands of volunteers from the R.I.S.E. Champions Network - which unites over 60 volunteer interest groups and non-governmental organisations - with practical skills to prevent marine pollution.

Training sessions will be complemented by educational learning journeys at the Singapore Oceanarium, enabling participants to observe first-hand how waste impacts marine species. Members of the public will also have opportunities to participate in research and citizen science projects, directly contributing to data collection and coastal monitoring.

Resorts World Sentosa is already putting words into action on the ground. In September 2026, Singapore Oceanarium staff and Sentosa Development Corporation volunteers removed 256kg of marine debris from local shores.

Sustaining a nationwide movement

The new coastal focus builds upon PHC's 15-year history of leading community cleanliness initiatives, carrying forward the national vision first sparked by founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew in 1968.

To empower ground-up cleanups, PHC currently operates 29 Clean Pods-specially designed sheds stocked with free cleanup tools such as tongs, grabbers, and pails.

Two additional Clean Pods will soon launch in Nee Soon South and Tampines East, bringing the nationwide total to 31.

PHC has also been driving multi-generational outreach through its Cleanhood programme, which onboarded 230 primary and secondary schools in 2025 and expanded to 129 preschools in 2026, alongside international community engagement sessions for ASEAN residents living in Singapore.

kimberly.foo@asiaone.com

为庆祝成立 15 周年，公共卫生理事会 (PHC) 正式将新加坡的全国清洁运动从城市住宅区直接扩展到沿海地区和海洋环境。

9 月 26 日星期六，PHC 在新加坡海洋馆研究与学习中心举行的题为“我们的共同责任：通过集体行动创造一个更清洁的新加坡”的对话中，与圣淘沙名胜世界 (RWS) 正式签署了谅解备忘录 (MOU)。

该战略伙伴关系旨在解决陆地垃圾与海洋污染之间的关键联系，确保新加坡的公共清洁工作不会止步于海岸线。

陆地垃圾怎么会成为海洋问题？

在活动现场接受媒体采访时，PHC执行主任刘嘉玲副教授强调，丢弃在城市街道和居民区的垃圾不会留在原地。暴雨期间，内陆地区未清理的垃圾会通过雨水排水沟和排水系统直接流入大海。

她指出，新加坡水域面临双重威胁：一是来自海外的漂浮海洋垃圾，二是经由城市排水系统冲刷而来的本地陆地垃圾。此外，由于漂浮海洋垃圾会随洋流跨越海域边界进入邻近水域，因此保持新加坡水域清洁也关乎区域尊重和环境保护。

PHC与RWS的合作是双方持续努力的一部分，旨在帮助居民将高度的环保意识转化为持续的日常习惯。

根据新加坡公共卫生局 (PHC) 于 2026 年 3 月开展的“保持新加坡清洁”调查，该调查访问了 400 多名居民，超过 99% 的受访者承认集体和个人贡献在维护公共清洁方面的重要性。

然而，PHC 指出，人们普遍存在着这样的现象：知道基本的日常习惯（例如归还餐盘和擦拭洒出的食物）与持续实践这些习惯之间脱节。

与内陆公共空间受益于国家环境局 (NEA) 的例行监视和正式监测不同，沿海地区缺乏例行监测执法。

因此，保护​​当地海滩很大程度上依赖于公民责任、利益团体和基层志愿者的行动。

除了捡垃圾之外，还有其他更有意义的事情。

与只注重捡拾垃圾的标准海滩清洁活动不同，PHC-RWS 合作项目融合了结构化的教育、科学研究和能力建设。

根据该谅解备忘录，一项旗舰举措是定制化的“培训师培训”项目，重点关注海岸清洁。该项目将为PHC企业行动网络（CAN）的200多家企业成员以及RISE Champions Network（该网络联合了60多个志愿者兴趣团体和非政府组织）的数千名志愿者提供防止海洋污染的实用技能。

培训课程将与新加坡海洋馆的教育学习之旅相结合，使参与者能够亲身观察垃圾对海洋物种的影响。公众也将有机会参与研究和公民科学项目，直接为数据收集和海岸监测做出贡献。

圣淘沙名胜世界已将承诺付诸行动。2026年9月，新加坡海洋馆工作人员和圣淘沙发展局志愿者从当地海岸清理了256公斤海洋垃圾。

维持一场全国性的运动

新的沿海地区重点工作建立在PHC 15年来引领社区清洁倡议的历史之上，延续了建国总理李光耀于1968年首次提出的国家愿景。

为了支持基层清洁工作，PHC 目前运营着 29 个清洁舱——专门设计的棚屋，里面配备了免费的清洁工具，如钳子、抓取器和水桶。

不久后，位于义顺南和淡滨尼东的另外两个清洁舱将投入使用，使全国清洁舱总数达到 31 个。

PHC 还通过其“清洁社区”计划推动多代人参与，该计划于 2025 年纳入了 230 所小学和中学，并于 2026 年扩展到 129 所幼儿园，同时还为居住在新加坡的东盟居民举办国际社区参与活动。

kimberly.foo@asiaone.com