28 foreign litterbugs nabbed in Johor since Jan 1; immigration department to take action against those who miss court dates

At the end of the two-hour operation on Tuesday (Jan 20), five people – all Malaysians – had been caught. All of them declined comment when approached by CNA.

“For most of them nabbed, they were littering even though they were standing close to rubbish bins, so that is very disappointing,” said Zainal Fitri Ahmad, the director of Johor SWCorp. 

The government agency has been tasked with enforcing stricter anti-littering penalties in various parts of the country since the start of the year.

“This culture of having a clean city is something we see elsewhere and we want to inculcate it here,” he told the media, who were invited to Tuesday’s operation. 

The stricter punishment applies to 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 (US$493), 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 the Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Act 2007 (Act 672).

Dozens of similar enforcement operations have been conducted elsewhere in the country since Jan 1 to deter litterbugs and inculcate a culture of public cleanliness.