Forget Alpine villages and Scandinavian streets – if you want to see cleanliness at its most raw, disciplined and almost robotically efficient, then you have to go to Singapore. It’s a place where you won’t find any rubbish even if you look for it with a magnifying glass and an augmented reality app. In 2025, this city-state – known for its futuristic architecture, gleaming facades and rare traffic jams – is once again officially declared the cleanest city in the world. And this is not according to some local committee for beautiful gardens, but according to a comprehensive international analysis carried out by the American company Eagle Dumpster Rental, in collaboration with the Numbeo, Atlas D-Waste and other data centres.
But this cleanliness in Singapore is not the result of goodwill or an unusual love for brooms – it is the result of a system that combines military precision, smart technology, and legislation that would be labeled extreme in many other places. V Singapore there's no room for "oops, I dropped my gum" or "it's just a piece of paper". Every mistake has a price - and it's often not a small one. So it's no wonder the city is so clean that you could eat sashimi off its sidewalks.
Singapore: a laboratory of cleanliness and law and order
Punishments that shock – and work
Let's start with the basic: If you throw a cigarette butt on the ground in Singapore, it will cost you at least 300 Singapore dollars. (around 205 euros). And that's it kind punishment – intended for those who “forgot”. If you get caught multiple times, the number quickly climbs towards 2000 euros, and on top of that, you're facing a public disgrace that would be the envy of even medieval Europe: you have to wear a neon jacket and clean the streets in front of crowds of tourists. No filter. No sunglasses.
So-called Corrective Work Order (CWO) is a measure that the government introduced back in 1992, but it is still consistently applied today. The goal? The punishment should be a “learning experience,” and above all, it should be visible. In Singapore, they don’t rely on subtle reminders or QR codes with sustainability tips – here cleanliness teaches you respect. If not before, then after the punishment.
Artificial intelligence in the fight against human negligence
Singapore's innovation knows no bounds – literally. Some elevators are equipped with urine detection sensors, which, upon detecting an “indecent act,” trigger a door lock and send a notification to local authorities. Sometimes, a strong smell is enough to make the elevator act like an enraged Alexa – and then it’s only a matter of time before the police arrive.
In addition, the city has key points smart trash cans, which report when they are full, and use compressed airto reduce waste volume and optimize collection. All major parks, city streets, and even public restrooms are under the umbrella of sensors, cameras, and – believe it or not – algorithms that predict people's littering behavior. This isn't just a clean place, it's a place that knows you better than your personal trainer.
Cleanliness as a strategy – the data speaks for itself
The numbers that put Singapore on top
According to the company's research Eagle Dumpster Rental (2025), which analyzed the world's 30 largest cities in terms of per capita garbage, waste management systems, and public perceptions of cleanliness, Singapore generates only 321 kg of waste per capita per year. For comparison: Rome, the infamous loser of this scale, produces what 654 kg of waste per person. It is followed by Cairo, Naples and Paris, where waste management has been a complex political issue for years.
According to the data World Bank and UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme), Singapore is among the city-states with the highest recycling percentage (around 60 %), despite spatial constraints and high urbanization. It has one of the most efficient combustion systems, which creates a minimal environmental footprint, and operates within a broader national goal: to become zero-waste nation by 2030.
Numbeo, the world's largest quality of life database, also regularly ranks Singapore among the top 3 cities with the best public cleanliness, often ranked first. In 2025, users rated street cleanliness with an average score of 91/100, which is the highest among all the cities analyzed.
What about the others? Which cities are next – and who is trailing behind?
According to the ranking of the cleanest cities in 2025, the highest ranked after Singapore are:
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- Tokyo (Japan) – known for its residents' exceptional self-discipline and almost religious respect for order.
- Zurich (Switzerland) – where the snow still falls symmetrically and the garbage collectors speak five languages.
- Vancouver (Canada) – a pioneer of green urban solutions and a city where waste separation is not just a legal obligation, but a moral code.
At the bottom of the scale, next to Rome, we find Cairo, Mumbai and Mexico City, where rapid urbanization, poverty and weak infrastructure prevent effective waste management.
Singapore's recipe: strict, digital, efficient
Singapore isn't a clean city because people just love brooms. It's clean because they've built a system that:
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- rewards correct behavior and punishes incorrect behavior (very).
- uses technology not just as support, but as the backbone of the system.
- combines legislation, education and public pressure into a unified model, which many call urban hygiene utopia.
Of course, many would say that it is about overly controlled environment – but when you step onto a street where there's no sewer smell and not a single piece of trash, you quickly change your mind.
There is no secret to cleanliness, only a system
Singapore is proof that cities are not necessarily dirty – it's just that systems are often shaky, legislation is weak and technology is poorly used. This city-state has shown that it is possible: that urbanity, technology and human nature can live in harmony – if you just set the rules and respect them.
The next time you're thinking about whether to throw a piece of paper past the trash can - think about this: What would Singapore do? With artificial intelligence in elevators, public shaming of offenders, and really (really!) high fines, Singapore is proving that cleanliness can be a national sport.
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