SWCorp has been tasked with enforcing stricter anti-littering penalties in various parts of the country since the start of the year.
It said that since Jan 1, it has issued a total of 742 offence notifications across seven states involving 581 local citizens and 161 foreign nationals.
The seven states are Johor, Melaka, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Perlis and Kedah as well as the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya.
On top of fines of up to RM2,000, litterbugs may now also be sentenced to community service for a period of not more than six months, with a maximum of 12 hours of work, under Act 672.
Whether an offender is sentenced to community service is at the discretion of the magistrate, and factors like their physical well-being will be taken into consideration, SWCorp confirmed to CNA last month.
Dozens of similar enforcement operations have been conducted in the country since Jan 1 to deter litterbugs and inculcate a culture of public cleanliness.
Prior to 2026, Malaysia’s punishments for littering were limited to smaller fines and did not have the community service component.
SWCorp CEO Khalid Mohamed told reporters on Friday that the purpose of the community service order was to deter the community from littering.
“The Community Service Order is implemented as a restorative and educational alternative punishment, shifting from a strictly monetary fine to a rehabilitative sentence that involves the offender’s direct participation in community cleaning work,” he said, adding that other developed countries also had similar initiatives.
The Malaysian litterbug who served the order on Friday said he had learnt his lesson.
The man, who works as an e-hailing driver and declined to be named, had been caught littering a cigarette butt on New Year’s Day.
“It looks like a small thing, but it had a big effect that involved a lot of money as well. Because of one cigarette, I received a big fine,” said the man who also advised the public to throw rubbish in a proper place.
He also believed that there was a “silver lining” for the punishment meted out to him.
“What I did was definitely wrong, but there is a positive side to it. People can see what happens (when they litter),” said the man, who is in his 30s.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/singaporean-man-littering-kl-community-service-malaysia-new-law-5928441
