'This is not safe': Woman sweeps shattered glass at trash-filled HDB lift lobby to protect the elderly

Lately, Adeline Tay has been coming home to a lift lobby full of trash as her estate at Tanglin Halt is undergoing the Selective En bloc Redevelopment Scheme (SERS).

While most would shake their heads in consternation or grumble under their breath, Tay decided to take action by bringing her broom downstairs to clean up the mess instead.

This 26-year-old filmed this heartwarming gesture and posted it on TikTok on Wednesday (May 4).

The 58-second clip has garnered 70,000 views at the time of writing.

[embed]https://www.tiktok.com/@adelimey/video/7093900611502050562?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=6944924152827184641[/embed]

SERS is part of HDB's efforts to renew older housing estates in Singapore and Tay felt that the clutter left at the lift lobby by residents preparing to vacate their homes was unsafe for the elderly living in the area.

Apart from the plastic bags filled with trash and old furniture lying around, what concerned Tay the most was a pile of shattered glass at the lobby.

"We live in an estate where there are a lot of elderly so this is not safe and I will try to like contain the glass," she explained, adding that she was also concerned for the dogs and cats in that estate. 

Tay then found a pail among the mess and scooped up the shattered glass into it.

"I know that tomorrow morning our cleaning friends will come and take care of this mess but I didn’t want to risk it. It’s also nice to help out a little, cause they have been working really hard," Tay wrote.

Tay said that normally she would not take a video of herself cleaning up "but I figured [I wanted] to use this platform to raise awareness about proper waste disposal".

She added that her neighbours are good to her too and she wants to "help each other".

In the comments section, netizens were thankful and appreciative of her efforts, with some suggesting that she could also approach the town council for help. 

"You have a heart of gold," one said. Another pointed out she had a kind soul as her act was done with others in mind.

Tay has a knack for raising awareness on issues that are close to her heart.

Prior to this, she spoke about her struggle with alopecia on TikTok and answered questions from netizens regarding the medical condition.

AsiaOne has reached out to her for more information.

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amierul@asiaone.com