Someone dumps rubbish illegally
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Every day, more than 3,000 tonnes of rubbish such as renovation waste, which cannot be incinerated are shipped out from Tuas Marine Transfer Station to the Pulau Semakau landfill. Waste disposal now costs $67 a tonne. A person who dumps a truckload illegally near your house will save $700. With dumping costs rising by $10 a year till 2002, more people may choose to dump rubbish illegally.
From 1 January 2000 to 31 August 2000, Ministry of Environment (ENV) had cleared 5,946 tonnes of illegally-dumped waste. Last year, it cleared 24,612 tonnes.
Contact ENV on 1800-731-9222 (during office hours or 1800-453-2222 after office hours). The maximum penalty for illegal dumping is $50,000 fine and 12 months' jail. Repeated offenders face a $100,000 fine and a jail term of up to a year.
ENV prosecuted 39 cases last year and 45 so far this year. It has already secured 36 convictions and fines of between $800 and $30,000 for each case. One person received a jail term; others ended up in jail, as they could not pay the fines. Another 48 cases are awaiting trial.
Case
A man bought a truck for $55,000 to start his own transportation business. He was approached by a friend to transport and dispose of a load of earth for $70 and was caught. He was fined $8,000 and his 10-tonne truck was forfeited. Because he could not pay the fine, he went to jail for two months. Although his lorry has been forfeited, he must still make instalment payments of $100 to $200 a month on the vehicle.
24 September 2000 Straits Times
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