Dear Friends,
OVERVIEW
“223 Used masks not disposed off properly”
Mask-wearing has now become part of our daily wear when going out to work, for leisure or simply when just stepping out of the house. It will likely be a norm for months, and possibly for years going forward. Perhaps, it may not be a bad thing at all that we carry a mask at all times and put it on when not feeling well or, not wanting to catch any invisible germ that we do not want. It is a good socially responsible act indeed to carry a mask with us whenever we are outside and be around people. This can be the New Normal for our dressing when stepping out of the house.
However, this very recurrent item has also become an unfortunate oddity like the other commonly littered items (single-used plastic bags, bottles and other packaging items) in our public places. The Waterways Watch volunteers and our programme participants can testify to it. For instance, this week the volunteers picked up 118 masks from the designated areas and the programme participants picked up a total of 105 masks. Masks are like used tissues – they are good carriers of germs. They should therefore be disposed of properly so that they do not become a transmitter for the spread of viruses and germs. In addition, disposable masks improperly or carelessly discarded can also be particularly dangerous for birds and marine life.
Judging from the litter collected by our patrols and participants in our programmes, there is still a long way to go for our citizens to take personal responsibility for keeping our environment and waterways clean and safe.
In summary, the following activities were done for this week:
- We conducted 2 CSR programmes – (1 Boat & 1 Kayak) and 1 VIA Kayak programme. They collected a total of 100 kg of litter.
- This week a total of 99 members were involved for VIA programme, talk, patrols, administration and housekeeping duties and the total trash collected = 231 kg.
- Boat Patrol. A total of 10 Boat patrols were carried out; 4 at Marina, 4 at Punggol and 2 at Lakeside.
- Bike Patrol. A total of 4 Bike patrols were carried out; 2 each at Marina and Lakeside.
- Foot Patrol. We conducted 1 Foot patrol at Pang Sua.
- Kayak Patrol. We conducted 1 kayak patrol at Lakeside.
ACTIVITIES AND REPORT
1. Educational Programmes
2. Volunteer Patrols & Activities
a. Marina
b. Punggol
c. Lakeside
d. Pang Sua Pond
e. Yishun Pond Patrol
