JOHOR BARU: Johor’s crackdown on littering is intensifying with more than 1,000 notices issued so far this year.
Johor Solid Waste Management and Public Cleansing Corporation (SWCorp) director Zainal Fitri Ahmad said 16 litterbugs, including two Singaporeans, were ordered to perform their community service yesterday.
“The offenders were convicted for discarding waste such as cigarette butts, plastic bottles and drink cans in public places,” he said.
Besides the Singaporeans, the other offenders were eight Malaysians, three Indonesians, two Bangladeshis and one Nepalese, he told a press conference yesterday.
Zainal Fitri said the community service was carried out at a shopping mall parking area, marking the seventh series of such enforcement action carried out in the state.
The offenders, he said, were required to perform two hours of cleaning work, with additional hours to be determined depending on court decisions.
He said total fines imposed on the offenders amounted to RM14,400, with penalties of up to RM2,000 per individual depending on the severity of the offence.
“As of Saturday, SWCorp Johor has issued 1,083 notices for littering offences statewide,” he said.
“Out of the total, 32 cases have been settled in court involving fines amounting to RM26,300.”
He added that those sentenced to community service had been ordered to perform between two and 10 hours of cleaning duties, with 10 hours being the highest duration imposed so far.
Despite ongoing enforcement and awareness campaigns, Zainal Fitri said littering offences continue to be detected in public places and tourist hotspots across Johor.
“I hope the public, especially the youth, will stop littering because this is an unhealthy practice and gives a bad image to tourists visiting the state,” he said.
He added that enforcement and monitoring operations would continue as part of Johor’s goal of achieving cleaner public spaces in line with its target of becoming a clean state by 2030.
Zainal Fitri pointed out that there have been many reports and videos uploaded on social media by the public which show people littering.
“We are getting videos and information from members of the public about litterbugs. This shows that people are against such behaviour,” he said.
He said SWCorp would investigate all information received, including identifying vehicle owners or tracing those captured on camera.
“We thank the public for providing information to us,” he added.
Zainal Fitri warned that offenders who fail to comply with community service orders could face further action through the courts.
