I was disheartened to see so many cigarette butts littered outside Bukit Panjang Plaza when I visited the place recently (right).

It is all the more vexing that these cigarette butts were intentionally thrown into the shrubs next to the footpaths to hide their presence.

This situation is by no means unique to Bukit Panjang Plaza. Where there are shrubs, there will be hidden cigarette butts aplenty.

Cigarette butts are a major contributor to litter in Singapore. During the CleanSG campaign in May, volunteers picked up a stunning 170,000 cigarette butts during the month. And this number likely excluded cigarette butts obscured within the shrubs and tossed into drains.

We need to take the matter seriously.

Cigarette butts are both an environmental and fire hazard. They decompose slowly over 10 years and release toxic chemicals in the process.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) also reported that of the average 550 vegetation fires annually from 2014 to 2018, cigarette butts contributed to many of them.

In 2019, the Criminal Law Reform Act was passed to enable the police and SCDF to take firmer action against individuals who do not properly dispose of lighted materials such as cigarette butts, causing or substantially contributing to the risk of a dangerous fire. Those convicted can be fined and punished with up to seven years' imprisonment.

Education can go only so far. The smokers know they are committing an offence - that is why they hide the butts in the shrubs - but the chances of being caught are too low to be a deterrent.

Behind every cigarette butt tossed is an offender, a polluter and a potential arsonist. The laws are there. The authorities need to show that they mean business.

Lim Teck Koon