Year of Public Hygiene
Year of Public Hygiene
MSE has designated 2024 as the Year of Public Hygiene to highlight our commitment to raising the standards of public cleanliness and hygiene across our environment, air, water and food. It also emphasises the importance of collective responsibility from both government and the community in maintaining a clean, safe and liveable environment for everyone.
The four key focus areas for the Year of Public Hygiene are: Clean Environment, Clean Water, Clean Air, and Safe Food. MSE will work alongside NEA, PUB and SFA to tackle inconsiderate behaviour and address pain points in the following areas:
Creating a Clean, Green and Resilient Shared Singapore
Managing Littering Hotspots
NEA will adopt a more targeted approach with stepped up enforcement, greater use of technology and community involvement to keep our common spaces clean and deter potential litterbugs.
Tackling Unhygienic Public Toilets
A Public Toilets Taskforce will be formed, tapping on the expertise of public sector agencies, town councils, premises managers, academia and trade and industry associations, to address the problem of dirty public toilets holistically.
Enhancing Vector Control
NEA will leverage technology to eliminate potential rat nesting grounds, and expand Project Wolbachia to combat dengue.
Preserving the Quality of Indoor Air
NEA will progressively introduce limits on formaldehyde, starting with interior paint, to safeguard public health.
Keeping our waterways clean
Our reservoirs serve as a source of water supply for our nation. Everyone has a role to play to keep our water catchments clean by keeping litter and other pollutants out of the water bodies.
Disposing used water properly
Our used water network is designed to collect and convey used water and not waste, oil and grease. We must ensure proper waste disposal to keep our public and private sewers free-flowing, and minimise chokes that can result in public health issues.
PUB continues to collaborate with our partners to educate the public and businesses on the importance of keeping our waterways clean and ensuring proper waste disposal.
Leveraging science, data and technology to enhance food safety
SFA adopts a data-driven inspection regime targeted as food establishments with high propensity of food safety lapses to detect non-compliances and food safety lapses early. This will eliminate or minimise the occurrence of foodborne outbreaks and food safety incidents.
Safeguarding food safety through good public hygiene
SFA and NEA continue to work together to ensure proper refuse management and pest control at food establishments as part of our continued efforts to ensure food safety. Food operators must do their part to upkeep good food preparation practices and ensure their premises are clean and well-maintained.
Ensuring joint responsibility for food safety
SFA is developing a new Food Safety and Security Bill (FSSB) to enhance our food safety and security regime to better protect the public and facilitate joint responsibility between industry, consumers and the Government.
Public hygiene will not be achieved by the Government alone. Everyone – the Government, individuals, businesses, and the community, must work together to ensure that the basic needs of all Singaporeans continue to be met.
Year of Public Hygiene Profile Frame
Show your support by adopting the Year of Public Hygiene profile image frame!
Click here to download the frame, and a guide on how to add the frame to your profile image.
Other Resources
NEA's Year of Public Hygiene webpage