With an ever increasing local and global concern for pollution, cleanliness and environmental sustainability, social media is awash with comments as to whether Gibraltar is doing enough to maintain a clean environment.

Away from the debate on public street cleaning, there is so much more everyone could do for the benefit of Gibraltar’s cleanliness.

Cigarette butts and pieces of chewing gum are littered almost everywhere you look in Gibraltar.  Whilst many may not consider the tossing of a cigarette filter or gum as ‘littering’, an inconvenient truth lies in the fact that cigarette butts are made from cellulose acetate, a form of plastic.  This takes anytime from 18 months to 10 years to biodegrade.  Moreover, the toxins present in used cigarette filters can leach into the ground and waterways which can damage living organisms that make contact with them. 

The environmental damage caused by chewing gum is comparable, as it is made from synthetic plastics and hence does not biodegrade.  Like cigarette butts, gum can also bioaccumulate within the food chain.  The toxins can find their way into aquatic species, which can consequently affect humans when we consume the affected species.  It may not just be toxins from plastic in the fish we eat.  There may be gum and cigarette butt residue.

Possibly the highest benchmark in terms of cleanliness, is Singapore, an island with a population just shy of six million.  Indeed, Singapore is widely considered one of the cleanest cities in the world (the cleanest according to a BBC Earth documentary). Gibraltar and Singapore are both currently enjoying strong economies and are both densely populated.  Both jurisdictions host a high ex-pat population.

However, maintaining their cleanliness status comes at a cost to the Singaporean population, who have to abide by an array of rigorous laws.  Anything from chewing gum to feeding pigeons is punishable by strict fines of up to $1,000 (£550), whilst litterers can be punished through public shaming during community service.  According to various travel outlets, third time offenders of littering are sentenced to voluntarily cleaning the streets whilst wearing an illuminous jacket with the words “I am a litterer” written across their chest. 

Forgetting to flush a public toilet and urinating in a lift are illegal acts.  Smoking is prohibited within 5 metres of a bus-shelter or entrances and exits to indoor areas of buildings and facilities where smoking is prohibited (for example shops) and in some public housing estates managed by certain town councils.

Singapore prides itself on vigilant police and high levels of CCTV cameras, which along with high penalties, helps the government to enforce their tight legislation.

This report is from the Guardian newspaper in 2015

 Singapore has fined a smoker a record S$19,800 [£10,000] for throwing cigarette butts out of his flat window, the National Environment Agency has said.

The man was fined S$600 [£330] per cigarette for the first 33 offences and ordered to do community service for the 34th, all committed within four days, the agency said.

The 38-year-old, who was caught on surveillance camera, will have to clean a public area for five hours while wearing a bright vest bearing the words “corrective work order”.

The agency said on its website it deployed surveillance cameras at nearly 600 locations and took 206 enforcement actions against offenders for high-rise littering in 2014. It did not say which floor the smoker lived on.

In March 2018 the Independent newspaper in Singapore reported:

The National Environment Agency (NEA) has apparently issued a $300 [£160] fine to an individual here for spitting in public. The offence occurred on Thursday (1 Mar) near the Burger King outlet at Paya Lebar Road.

A photo of the summon was posted on a public Facebook group this afternoon. The photo shows that the individual who has been served the summon must pay the $300 fine by 16 April or risk a heftier punishment:

According to Environmental Public Health Act (Chapter 95, Section 113), those who spit or expel mucus from the nose at a public place could be fined a maximum fine of S$1,000 [£550] for first offence; a maximum fine of S$2,000 [£1,100] for the second offence and; up to S$5,000 [£2,750] for third and subsequent offences.

The laws in Singapore are sometimes ridiculed by Western news outlets, with the Business Insider labelling them as ‘comical’ and absurd’.  However, in a recent poll, conducted by an Asian news channel, it was reported that 95% of Singaporeans appreciate the clean environment.  Furthermore, Singapore has consistently ranked as the happiest country in Asia according to the annual World Happiness Report commissioned by the United Nations

Whilst the stern legislation does exist, the Singaporean community seems willing to give back to their country.  Singaporeans will also often gather in littering hotspots and voluntarily help clean up. 

Hong Kong, another small jurisdiction with some similar characteristics to Gibraltar, is also globally recognised as one of the cleanest places in the world.  Their approach to maintaining clean surroundings is comparable to that of Singapore; a strong community approach and strict laws with fixed penalty fines of $1,500 (£150) for littering or spitting. 

Seemingly zero tolerance and steep penalties are working effectively to fight high levels of litter in both Hong Kong and Singapore. 

Is this something Gibraltar should contemplate as part of a community wide clean-up operation?

A Singaporean style approach to litter in Gibraltar would be a culture shock for many.  Many more bins and containers for used cigarettes would have to be provided and maintained than now. The culture would also have to change for our own good if Gibraltar is to look much cleaner.  But the benefits would be incredible, not only from an environmental perspective.  Imagine how lovely it would be to live in one of the cleanest countries in the world.