The punishment for littering in Singapore starts with a S$300 on-the-spot fine for a first offense and climbs steeply from there. If the case goes to court, a first conviction can reach S$2,000, a second S$4,000, and a third or later offense S$10,000.1National Environment Agency. Flat Owners or Tenants Presumed to Be Guilty of High-Rise Littering Under New Law From 1 July 2023 Repeat offenders are also routinely ordered to clean public areas in a visible vest, and more serious conduct, such as throwing objects from a high floor or dumping bulky waste, can bring jail time.
The S$300 Ticket and What Comes After
The Environmental Public Health Act (EPHA) prohibits dropping, placing, or throwing refuse, paper, cigarette butts, or other waste anywhere in a public place other than a designated bin. When a National Environment Agency (NEA) officer sees it happen, the usual outcome is a composition fine of S$300. Pay it and the matter closes without a court appearance.
Ignoring the ticket, or getting a case the NEA chooses to prosecute instead of compound, puts you in front of a court. The ceiling is S$2,000 for a first conviction, S$4,000 for a second, and S$10,000 for a third or subsequent one.1National Environment Agency. Flat Owners or Tenants Presumed to Be Guilty of High-Rise Littering Under New Law From 1 July 2023 The structure escalates deliberately. Each repeat offense is meant to hurt more than the last.
Corrective Work Orders
Courts can add a Corrective Work Order (CWO) on top of a fine, requiring the offender to clean a public area for up to 12 hours.2Singapore Statutes Online. Environmental Public Health Act 1987 – Section 21A Only time spent under the direct supervision of an assigned officer counts toward the hours.3Attorney-General’s Chambers of Singapore. Environmental Public Health (Corrective Work Order) Regulations
Offenders must wear a protective vest or similar apparel while they work, making them clearly visible to anyone walking past.3Attorney-General’s Chambers of Singapore. Environmental Public Health (Corrective Work Order) Regulations The visibility is the point. CWOs are most often associated with repeat offenders.
High-Rise Littering
Throwing anything from a window or balcony is one of the most aggressively enforced littering offenses in Singapore, which makes sense in a country where most people live in high-rise housing. A cigarette butt dropped from the 20th floor is a safety problem, not just a cleanliness one.
The fine ceilings are the same as general littering: S$2,000, S$4,000, and S$10,000 for the first, second, and third convictions, with up to 12 hours of CWO available on top.1National Environment Agency. Flat Owners or Tenants Presumed to Be Guilty of High-Rise Littering Under New Law From 1 July 2023 The enforcement rules are stricter, though. Since 1 July 2023, when litter is traced to a particular unit, the flat owner or tenant is presumed to be the guilty party, and the burden shifts to them to prove otherwise. The NEA also deploys mobile surveillance cameras at buildings flagged by community complaints; around 490 such deployments took place in January 2026 alone.4Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment. Written Reply to Parliamentary Question on Mobile Enforcement Cameras
When the object thrown endangers someone below, the case leaves the EPHA and enters the Penal Code. A rash act that endangers human life or personal safety, even without actual injury, carries up to six months in jail and a fine of up to S$2,500.5Singapore Statutes Online. Penal Code 1871 – Section 336 If someone is actually hurt, a rash act can bring up to one year in prison and a fine of up to S$5,000, while a negligent one carries up to six months and S$2,500.6Singapore Statutes Online. Penal Code 1871 – Section 337 Fatal cases, sometimes called “killer litter” locally, can attract more serious charges still.
Illegal Dumping
Disposing of bulky items or large quantities of waste is treated as a different category of offense. Under the EPHA, a first conviction for illegal dumping can bring a fine of up to S$50,000, imprisonment of up to 12 months, or both. A second or subsequent conviction carries fines of up to S$100,000 and mandatory imprisonment of up to 12 months, and any vehicle used in the dumping can be confiscated.7Singapore Statutes Online. Environmental Public Health Act 1987 The mandatory jail time for a second offense removes the fine-only option entirely.
Chewing Gum
The chewing gum rules deserve a mention because visitors so often ask about them. Singapore prohibits the import and sale of chewing gum.8Immigration & Checkpoints Authority. What You Can Bring Selling gum carries a fine of up to S$2,000 on conviction, with exceptions for therapeutic, dental, and nicotine gum available through pharmacists or dentists.9Singapore Statutes Online. Sale of Food (Prohibition of Chewing Gum) Regulations Dropping gum on the street is prosecuted as littering under the usual EPHA penalty structure.
Foreign Visitors and Work Pass Holders
Tourists get no special treatment. A visitor who receives a S$300 composition fine is expected to pay it before leaving the country. Leaving with the fine unpaid is a mistake: unpaid fines are among the reasons the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority refuses re-entry, and bans can run from a year upward depending on the circumstances.
Work pass holders face a further risk. The Ministry of Manpower has discretion to refuse renewal or revoke a work pass when the holder is convicted of an offense that makes them unsuitable, weighing the nature and severity of the conviction. A single S$300 ticket is unlikely to end a career in Singapore, but a pattern of offenses or a conviction serious enough to attract a CWO can complicate renewal. Pay the ticket, promptly.