Year-long delay to remove discarded fridge from Clementi Forest a 'lapse', 'always room to improve': Municipal Services Office

SINGAPORE — A year-long delay in clearing a discarded fridge in Clementi Forest was a "lapse", the Municipal Services Office (MSO) said on Tuesday (April 25), adding that it is committed to improving the delivery of municipal services.

A Russian hiker used the OneService mobile application, which is managed by MSO, to report the presence of the fridge in March last year, after he stumbled upon it.

However, the fridge was cleared from the forest on April 21 this year, which is more than a year after it was reported — and five days after TODAY first approached the authorities over the delay in clearing the electronic waste. 

In response to queries from TODAY, MSO said that it has been working over the years with agencies such as the National Parks Board (NParks) and the National Environment Agency (NEA) to “establish and strengthen service quality procedures and standards”.

These efforts include closer coordination at the back end, especially when responding to feedback that involves multiple agencies, and closing straightforward cases only when works on the ground are completed.

“Despite the implementation of these measures, occasional lapses may still occur, as was the case in this particular situation," it added.

“While we strive to minimise such occurrences, there is always room to improve. MSO is committed to improving the delivery of municipal services.”

The office, which comes under the Ministry of National Development, was set up in 2014 to improve the Government's overall coordination and delivery of municipal services.

The OneService app allows the public to provide feedback on municipal issues in Singapore and sends feedback to the relevant agencies.

Mr Semenov Pavel Dmitrievich, a Russian hiker, reported on the discarded refrigerator laying in the middle of Clementi Forest after stumbling upon it while hiking there in March last year.

In an email interview last week, the 40-year-old told TODAY that he decided to report it to the authorities through the OneService app instead of removing the fridge on his own after seeking advice from fellow hikers on social media. 

However, he found that the fridge remained along the trail when he returned to Clementi Forest for a hike last week.

When TODAY visited the site last Friday, the fridge — a large, crumpled heap of rusty metal about 1.5m long — had been moved several metres from its original location described by Mr Semenov, but remained in the forest. 

On Monday, NParks said in a statement that it was first alerted to a case of illegal dumping of a refrigerator in the land near Clementi Forest last March through the OneService app.

"As the refrigerator was in close proximity to the Rail Corridor, out of concern about the impact of illegal dumping on biodiversity, NParks arranged for its removal. The refrigerator was subsequently cleared on April 21, 2023."

NParks said that together with NEA, it is reviewing the internal process that led to the delay in the clearance of the refrigerator.