16 people, including 2 Singaporeans, sentenced to community service for littering in Johor

JOHOR BAHRU – A total of 16 individuals, including two Singaporeans, were sentenced to community service for littering in Johor.

Mr Zainal Fitri Ahmad, director of Johor’s Solid Waste Management and Public Cleansing Corp (SWCorp), said the offenders were among those convicted of disposing of cigarette butts, plastic bottles and drink cans in public places.

He said the punishment, carried out at a parking area of a shopping mall in Johor Bahru, was part of the seventh series of community service orders implemented in the state.

“Among the 16 individuals involved are eight Malaysians, three Indonesians, two Bangladeshis, one Nepalese and two Singaporeans. They are serving community service punishment for offences related to littering small waste items,” he told a press conference on May 10.

Mr Zainal Fitri said the offenders were ordered to carry out the community service for two hours on May 10, while additional punishment periods would be determined later.

He added that the total fines imposed on the offenders amounted to RM14,400 (S$4,660), with up to RM2,000 per individual, depending on the court’s ruling.

“As at May 9, SWCorp Johor has issued 1,083 notices for littering offences statewide. Out of the total, 32 cases have been settled in court involving fines amounting to RM26,300,” he said.

Mr Zainal Fitri added that offenders sentenced to community service had been required to carry out between two and 10 hours of cleaning work, with 10 hours being the highest duration imposed so far.

He said that despite various awareness campaigns and enforcement efforts, littering offences were still occurring in public places and tourist hot spots across the state.

“I hope the public, especially young people in Johor, will stop engaging in littering activities because this is an unhealthy practice and gives a bad image to tourists visiting the state,” he said.

He said enforcement and monitoring operations would continue until Johor achieved cleaner public spaces in line with the state’s goal of becoming a clean state and having clean cities by 2030.

Mr Zainal Fitri also said public awareness of littering had improved, citing growing public support for anti-litter enforcement shared on social media platforms.

“We are receiving videos and information from members of the public showing individuals littering. This shows that people are becoming more against such behaviour,” he said.

He added that SWCorp would investigate information and videos submitted by the public, including identifying vehicle owners or tracing individuals caught littering on camera.

“We thank the public for providing information to us. So far, there are no rewards given to informants, but many are voluntarily coming forward to help,” Mr Zainal Fitri said. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK