SEREMBAN: A total of 15,678 notices of offence were issued to individuals for littering in public places across seven jurisdictions that have adopted the Solid Waste Management and Public Cleansing Act 2007 (Act 672) in the first eight months of this year.
Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Corporation (SWCorp) deputy chief executive officer (Technical) Zulkifli Tamby Chik said 11,109 of the notices were issued to locals, while 4,569 involved foreigners.
He said the offences included discarding cigarette butts, plastic bottles, paper and tissues in public places.
"Of the 4,569 foreigners issued notices, 3,870 were workers, while 699 were tourists. Enforcement action will be taken regardless of nationality," he said after the Zero Waste Temiang Run 2026 programme here Saturday (Sept 5).
Zulkifli said 1,928 cases had been approved for prosecution, while another 1,087 cases had been fixed for mention in court.
He said that as of last August, 693 cases had been decided by the courts, with 599 individuals having completed community service orders, including cleaning drains, clearing rubbish from streets and collecting waste.
Zulkifli said community service could be imposed for up to 12 hours, but the court usually ordered four hours or more, depending on its discretion and consideration, in addition to a fine.
SWCorp began enforcing the Community Service Order on Jan 1 this year to strengthen action against those found guilty of littering in public places.
To date, the Act has been adopted in seven jurisdictions, namely the Federal Territories of Putrajaya and Kuala Lumpur, Negeri Sembilan, Melaka, Kedah, Pahang, Johor and Perlis. – Bernama
