Cody_Cleans_Up_The_Gigantic_Mess

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To
the future guardians
of our environment

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“Psst! Over here!” the plate waved
at Mr Trolley. “Someone has
forgotten to put me back to where
I belong. Would you mind rolling
your wheels over so that I can
hop on and get myself home?”
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“Not again! You’re so dirty, eww…”
The trolley turned its nose up.
“Quick! Before the birds spot me!
Then they would be all over me,
eww eww eww…”
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“Woah! Watch where you are going!”
the plate cried. Mr Trolley had tripped on
a fork and toppled onto the table, sending the
plate crashing onto the floor and other crockery
along with chicken bones and other food scraps.
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The plate shouted,
“You’re so heavy! Get off me!”
“I can’t! I think one of my wheels
is broken,” Mr Trolley sniffled.
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Plates, bowls, trays, utensils, and food scraps
were strewn all over the floor. It was a messy
pile. The plate and his friends groaned in pain.
The birds soon gathered at the used crockery
and started feasting on the leftover food.
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It was a sunny and breezy Saturday.
As Cody walked into the food centre, he was
looking for an empty table at the food centre
to enjoy his meal. However, there was no
empty table in sight! The tables were either
occupied by other patrons, or were filled
with used crockery and utensils.
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Cody’s stomach let out a loud growl.
With his tray in his hands, Cody thought to
himself, “Should I clear the mess on one of
those tables so that I can have a nice and clean
table for my meal?”
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Maybe I should clear the tables...
Or maybe I should just stand and eat.
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After looking at the empty tables that were
filled with dirty cups and bowls, he decided to
eat his meal while standing.
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As he took a spoonful of rice, a flock
of pigeons swooped in and pecked at
the food on Cody’s plate.
In shock, Cody dashed out of the food centre.
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Panting and perspiring, Cody felt a light
tap on his knee. “Hi Cody! You look really
terrified! What happened?” Caring Cora
was concerned.
“The birds… The birds were so horrible!
They snatched at my food...”, said Cody
as he tried to catch his breath.
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“Ah the birds, I knew it. Birds, such as
pigeons and mynahs, are attracted to
leftover food. Just like all of us, they need
to eat in order to survive. The unfinished
food, dirty crockery and utensils must have
attracted them. I’ve also noticed that this
happened just as the food centre got dirtier!”
explained Caring Cora.

“But I thought the cleaners would take
care of this…” Cody mumbled.
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“You see, the cleaners have so many things to
do every day, and they can only do so much
each time. Let’s be kind to them and other
customers. We should all return our trays
after we finish eating so that the birds won’t
even stand a chance to snatch anyone’s food!”
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“Bird droppings can also spread diseases*.
If we don’t do anything to keep them at bay,
many people might soon fall ill,” Caring Cora
pointed at the birds in the food centre.
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“That’s not all! Food scraps and rubbish
blown into the nearby areas and
waterway can pollute the environment,
and even cause animals in the
neighbourhood to choke or fall ill!”
Eco Eva added.
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“Hmm… Is there anything I can do to keep the
place clean? I mean I don’t want people to fall
ill or be annoyed by these birds!
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I know, why don’t we encourage everyone to
clear their own trays after eating!
This would be a very kind and gracious act!”
Cody suggested.
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“Mr Trolley!” the plate hollered.
“They forgot about me again.
May I trouble you to come over
and pick me up again?”
“It’s you again!”
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Mr Plate hopped onto Mr Trolley’s back and
joined the other crockery and utensils.
They eagerly awaited their “bath”.
And this time, Mr Trolley didn’t trip and fall…
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NOTE TO PARENTS
Every little action we perform today, be it
good or bad for the environment, will have a
significant impact on all of us and our future
generations. Let’s be gracious to Mother
Earth in order to leave a better environment
to our children and grandchildren. Returning
our trays and crockery after meals is our
way of being considerate and gracious to our
environment!
(And we should start before the pests take
over the neighbourhood!)
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Learn more
Building an Active & Gracious
Community together
It doesn’t take much to be considerate! One simple way is to return our
trays and crockery after every meal! Such acts of graciousness make it
easier for other patrons to find an available table, and also help to keep pests,
such as birds and ants, away. Make someone’s day, clear our trays!
Bird droppings and diseases
Food scraps left behind after you’re done with your meal often attract birds
such as pigeons and mynahs. Pigeons can potentially spread diseases such as
Cryptococcosis, Psittacosis, and Gastroenteritis; through their droppings!
Prolonged exposure to significant concentrations of the bacteria that cause these
diseases may lead to lung infection (if inhaled) or stomach and intestinal tract
infection (if accidentally ingested). Visit www.ava.gov.sg to find out more about
diseases that may be potentially spread by bird droppings.
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“Cody Cleans Up the Gigantic Mess!”, an eco-adventure story,
is part of the Sustainable Singapore Blueprint (SSB) Initiative.
Visit www.sustainablesingapore.gov.sg to learn more about the SSB.
For enquiries, please contact us at mewr_feedback@mewr.gov.sg.
Copyright © 2017 Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources (MEWR)
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, transmitted or stored
in an information retrieval system in any form or by any means, graphic, electronic
or mechanical, including photocopying, taping and recording, without prior written
permission from the publisher.
First published in March 2017 by MEWR.
www.mewr.gov.sg
This book is printed on FSC-certified paper.
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank our colleagues from the National Environment Agency (NEA)
for their invaluable contributions to this book!
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