3 Singaporeans face mandatory community service in Johor after being caught littering under stricter law

JOHOR BAHRU: Three Singaporeans face mandatory community service after receiving compound notices for littering during an enforcement operation in Johor Bahru on Monday (Jan 5), as part of Malaysia’s stricter punishments for such offences which kicked in this year.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a government event in Selangor on Tuesday, Malaysia’s Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming confirmed that the three individuals were among five who were caught during an enforcement operation by Malaysian authorities. 

He added that similar operations were carried out on Jan 1 and Jan 2 across the country under the government agency SWCorp’s (Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Corporation) Ops Cegah, where 120 offenders were nabbed, comprising 86 Malaysians and 34 foreigners. 

“They thought they could do it (litter in public); now they cannot. We want Singapore to be clean, Malaysia to be even cleaner,” news agency Bernama quoted Nga as saying.  

He added that the offenders will be forced to serve community service orders under amendments to the Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Act 2007 (Act 672) which metes out stricter punishments for minor littering offences as of Jan 1. 

First-time offenders could face fines and mandatory community service orders of up to 12 hours.

The amendments were passed by Malaysia’s House of Representatives, the Dewan Rakyat, and tabled in the upper house of parliament last year.

The stricter punishments would cover Johor, Melaka, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Perlis and Kedah, as well as the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya.

Nga reportedly added that SWCorp has been instructed to take firm action against litterbugs, warning that heavier penalties await offenders.

“They can be fined between RM2,000 (US$493.52) and RM10,000. If someone is wealthy and wants to ‘donate’ to the government, they can litter – but they will pay RM10,000 and still have to do community service,” he said, as quoted by news outlet The Star. 

As well as the three Singaporeans who were nabbed on Monday, a Singaporean tourist was also caught littering during an enforcement operation on Jan 1, according to the Facebook page for the Johor chapter of SWCorp. 

On Jan 3, two male Singaporeans were also issued with notices of offence for littering in Johor Bahru. 

The issue of littering made national headlines recently after photos and videos of rubbish discarded irresponsibly in Kuala Lumpur’s Bukit Bintang area following New Year celebrations went viral. 

However, Nga maintained that enforcement has yielded results, pointing out how after a lighting event to commemorate the start of the Visit Malaysia 2026 campaign on Jan 3, also in Bukit Bintang, the area remained clean despite a large turnout. 

“Nearly 30,000 people attended, but after the crowd dispersed, there was no rubbish left behind. That shows enforcement works,” he reportedly said.

CNA has reached out to the Ministry of Housing and Local Government on the total number of Singaporeans who have been nabbed for littering since Jan 1 and whether foreigners who are caught will be permitted to leave the country.