Cigarette butts the biggest cause of roadside fires from 2014 to 2017

SINGAPORE — Cigarette butts were the biggest cause of the 350 annual cases of roadside vegetation fires which were recorded between 2014 and 2017.

Responding to a question in Parliament on Tuesday (March 20) on the number of roadside fires and their causes, Second Minister for Home Affairs Josephine Teo said the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) started tracking such data only from 2014.

She also said individuals who discard cigarette butts irresponsibly can be charged under the Environmental Public Health Act for littering.

Under the Act, which was enhanced in 2014, recalcitrant litterbugs can be fined up to S$10,000, while first-time offenders can be fined up to S$2,000.

“If we can prove the fact that the fires also caused serious damage, such persons can be charged under the Penal Code for fire-related offences,” Mrs Teo added.

While the SCDF leads an inter-agency taskforce to deal with vegetation fires, and the National Environment Agency (NEA) regularly clears the roads of dry leaves, which are more susceptible to catching fire, she also said: “No amount of clearing will help, if some members of the public continue to illegally and irresponsibly discard cigarette butts.”

Hence, in her supplementary question, Dr Intan Azura Mokhtar (Ang Mo Kio Group Representation Constituency) asked if the Government would consider penalising motorists who get caught littering and discarding cigarette butts irresponsibly, and imposing community action.

Acknowledging that there is “no easy way to prevent” this behaviour, except to appeal members of the public to have more civic-mindedness, Mrs Teo also explained that it can be difficult to trace blame, even with video evidence.

“Hypothetically, even if someone happened to be at the right spot at the right time and managed to capture on camera, or through a video (of) someone who threw a cigarette butt, it is not so easy to establish whether that particular fire started as a result of that particular incident,” said Ms Teo.

“That’s why NEA takes a very strict view of littering, especially when someone was to throw a cigarette butt”, she added.

Ms Teo also said that members of the public are encouraged to report such offences via NEA’s website, its mobile app, or its hotline.