Netizens condemn mess left behind in several Singapore neighbourhoods after Deepavali festivities

Several neighbourhoods across Singapore were left strewn with rubbish following Deepavali celebrations over the weekend, drawing frustration from residents and social media users who criticised the lack of civic responsibility.

Videos circulating on social media showed confetti, burnt sparklers, and other festive materials scattered across public areas after the celebrations.

One such video, uploaded by a Reddit user on 21 October, described the scenes as an example of “irresponsible celebration.”

The user urged others to be more considerate, writing, “Celebrate responsibly. Clean up completely. Let’s stop trashing our shared public spaces.”

Another Reddit post uploaded the same day highlighted a messy park in Punggol, showing litter strewn across the area.

According to the user, the debris included burnt sparklers, remnants of plastic toys known as “bomb bags” that explode into glitter, and colourful flakes scattered across the ground.

The user wrote, “Saw this sight this morning. The crowd was here since 7pm and I could hear celebrations all the way until midnight. This morning, there was an unbelievable amount of litter left all around this beautiful park at Punggol.”

A similar complaint surfaced on TikTok, where a user uploaded a one-minute video criticising the improper disposal of rubbish left along East Coast Park.

“It pains my heart to see East Coast Park in such a filthy state after Deepavali,” he wrote in the caption.

The man, visibly frustrated, said, “You wouldn’t like it if I came to your country and did the same thing to your own place.”

The clip, posted on 21 October, had garnered more than 18,800 views at the time of writing.

Netizens Condemn the Mess

Many netizens on Reddit condemned the behaviour, criticising the lack of civic responsibility and calling for stricter enforcement or better public education on cleanliness.

One user asked, “Why can’t people just clean up after themselves? Don’t they feel uncomfortable that their stuff is just lying around, or that others have to pick it up?”

Another commenter expressed frustration over the behaviour, questioning how anyone could think it was acceptable.

The commenter stressed that such actions were inappropriate during Deepavali or any festive occasion, emphasising that those who create a mess should take responsibility for cleaning it up.

Reports from Other Neighbourhoods

Some netizens also shared that similar incidents occurred in their own neighbourhoods, including Jurong, Choa Chu Kang (CCK), and Yew Tee.

One user commented, “It happened at my house corridor as well. They allowed their kids to play with sparklers, and the burning smell and smoke were so bad I had to call SCDF and the police about it.”

Another commenter shared a similar experience, noting that the entire night was filled with the sounds of plastic packets bursting, and by morning, the ground was covered with small grenade-like plastic packets.

One Redditor suggested alerting the National Environment Agency (NEA), saying, “I just saw two other posts showing similar situations. This is terrible — this is the third post I’ve come across.”

Calls for Better Civic Education

Some commenters reflected that the issue points to a deeper lack of civic awareness.

One commenter observed that failing to clean up after festivities, or expecting others to do so, appears to be a widespread issue.

The commenter suggested this reflects a gap in civic consciousness and called for greater emphasis on civics education, noting that prevention is better than cure.

Another commenter hoped that authorities would remind the public next year not to use such items or to ensure proper clean-up after celebrations.

“If you’re conducting an event and throwing these party poppers around, then you have to clean up later. Basic common sense — event organisers should take responsibility,” the user added.