SINGAPORE - Think before you trash: that is Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's message to get Singaporeans to recycle more of what they use.
Speaking at the launch of the clean and green campaign for Ang Mo Kio GRC and Sengkang West, where his Teck Ghee ward is, on Saturday, he also urged Singaporeans to reduce waste.
"If we keep sending rubbish to Semakau at our current rate, it will run out of space by 2035," he said at Ang Mo Kio's annual tree planting day.
He was referring to Singapore's only remaining landfill, an island 8km south of Singapore, that gets some 200,000 tonnes of solid waste and incineration ash a year.
"We will turn Pulau Semakau into Bukit Semakau," Mr Lee added, using the Malay word for hill.
Residents also have a part to play in preventing mosquitoes from breeding, he said, while also urging them to conserve energy by using energy-efficient appliances and turning off their lights - and even their broadband - at night.
A new blueprint to keep Singapore clean and green in the years ahead will also be unveiled next week, Mr Lee added. While he withheld further details, he gave a hint as to what the plan will mean for Singaporeans.
"Next week, we will unveil our new Sustainable Singapore Blueprint - the vision of how to make Singapore clean and green for many years to come. It's a plan which all Singaporeans will be part of, it's the way to create a home that we can all be proud of."
At the event, Mr Lee also opened the Teck Ghee Zone 'A' community garden, and also planted some Fukugi fruit trees, which are more commonly known as happiness trees.
