Additionally, pollution and trash can be harmful for peoples' health if left unattended. Singapore also focuses on keeping a clean and green city to bring in more tourism, as Singapore is a tourist destination for many people in Southeast Asia and around the world! Singapore has invested a lot of money into its public transportation system (and encourages walking or bicycling) to reduce the amount of harmful omissions that cars and trucks produce when driving. More cars produces more air pollution, and so Singapore tries to cut back on the amount of cars on the road. Smog is another kind of air pollution that makes the sky look hazy and is a very big issue in other cities, especially in countries such as China. Smog ocassionally rolls into Singapore from Indonesia, where forest fires and the intentional burning of plants by farmers and companies creates huge amounts of smoke that can drift overseas.
Singapore has certainly stepped up to the challenge of creating an eco-friendly and clean environment. Just walking around you can easily tell it is one of the cleanest cities in the world. Every public restroom I have seen here has been incredibly clean, and many public areas such as MRT stations, buses, parks and sidewalks have all been very clean. You will also constantly see flyers or information about eco-friendly initiatives, such as encouraging people to recycle and reduce their waste. People are often charged extra to use a plastic bag at convenience stores or supermarkets and are pushed to bring a reusable bag.
