NEA issues 52 warnings, 3 fines over tray return lapses in first half of 2026

The National Environmental Agency (NEA) issued 52 warning letters and three fines in the first half of 2026 to diners who failed to clear their used trays, crockery or litter after meals, said the agency in a press release on Friday (Sept 4).

This is a significant drop, compared to the 628 warning letters issued in the first half of 2025, and 2,984 in the first half of 2024.

There has also been a decrease in the number of fines from seven in the first half of both 2025 and 2024.

The authority has been enforcing against table littering at hawker centres, coffeeshops and food courts since 2021 and 2022, with first-time offenders given a written warning and recidivists issued fines or court charges.

NEA said it handed out a total of 814 warning letters and 11 fines for table littering in 2025.

Since April 2024, the average tray and crockery return rate at hawker centres has stabilised at a high of 94 per cent.

Hawker centres with the highest tray return rates in the first half of 2026 include Fernvale Hawker Centre and Market, Market Street Hawker Centre and Chong Pang Market and Food Centre, according to NEA. 

Cleaner public toilets 

Coffee shop toilets are also becoming cleaner after NEA introduced grants in November 2025 to encourage renovation and regular deep cleaning.

As at Aug 16, 44 coffee shops out of 219 eligible applications have completed toilet renovations or started deep-cleaning works. More are expected to follow as applications are progressively processed.

Around 150 enforcement actions have been taken against coffee shop owners who fail to meet required cleanliness standards in the first half of 2026.

To encourage patrons to keep coffee shops clean, the Public Hygiene Council (PHC) has partnered with the Singapore Foochow Coffee Restaurant and Bar Merchants Association (Foochow) since March 31 to drive cleanliness initiatives.

A decal detailing cleanliness habits has been pasted across over 400 Foochow member coffee shops islandwide to encourage greater awareness, action and social responsibility among patrons. 

High-rise littering

Giving an update on the high-rise littering situation, NEA said the average number of feedback cases annually has remained at around 28,600 since 2023.

Last year, the agency deployed cameras in approximately 2,200 different hotspots and took around 500 enforcement actions for high-rise littering offences. 

NEA also introduced a six-month pilot in October 2025, providing each town council with two high-rise littering surveillance camera deployments per month for more targeted surveillance of high-rise littering hotspots.

A culprit of high-rise littering was detected at Tampines Street 45 as a result, allowing for follow-up investigations.

The agency said it will continue to work closely with town councils to support more targeted surveillance and intervention against high-rise littering.

Fewer rat burrows

NEA also noted an improvement in managing rat activity.

The average number of rat burrows detected per two-monthly surveillance cycle fell to about 3,400 in the first half of 2026 from about 5,400 in the same period last year.

NEA and the Singapore Food Agency have jointly taken around 490 enforcement actions against premises owners for rat-related lapses from January to June, of which about 260 were for poor refuse management. 

The agency is also leveraging technology to strengthen cleaning operations and inspections, including trials of autonomous pavement sweepers at parks and using artificial intelligence and video analytics to identify littering and detect rat activity. 

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