KUALA LUMPUR: Three foreigners were among four people who carried out community cleaning work at Dataran Merdeka as part of a punishment for littering offences in the capital.
Besides the Malaysian, the others were from Singapore, Indonesia and Pakistan. The men were aged between 25 and 35.
During the clean-up lasting four hours, they were assigned to collect dried leaves and litter in the vicinity of Jalan Raja and Bangunan Sultan Abdul Samad.
Under the Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Act 2007 (Act 672), offenders face a fine of up to RM2,000 and must complete up to 12 hours of community service within six months.
Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Corp (SWCorp) chief executive officer Khalid Mohamed said similar cleanups were also held in Negri Sembilan, Pahang, Johor and Kedah.
“Our priority is to ensure that those involved are medically fit and remain safe while carrying out the cleaning works.
“Cleanups are carried out in areas with high foot traffic and activities, with supervision from SWCorp personnel,” he said.
In a statement, SWCorp said it had issued more than 740 notices to littering offenders comprising 580 Malaysians and 160 foreigners since the start of the year.
Khalid said the bulk of the littering offences involved cigarette butts, far outnumbering discarded plastic bottles and food wrappers.
He said the community work was not meant to punish but to educate and deter future offenders.
