The act of discarding cigarette butts in public spaces has been identified as the most frequent violation recorded since Malaysia’s revamped anti-littering legislation was implemented on 1 January. According to Khalid Mohamed, the Chief Executive Officer of the Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Corporation (SWCorp), approximately 90 per cent of the cases brought before the court system involve this specific form of littering. Speaking to the media outside the Kuantan court complex today, he noted that the vast majority of legal proceedings initiated under the new act stem from smokers improperly disposing of their tobacco waste.
Khalid had earlier been present for proceedings at the Sessions Court, where three individuals were charged for throwing cigarette butts in public areas. Each offender was handed a fine of RM300 and mandated to complete two hours of community service as part of their penalty. During his address, the CEO issued a stern reminder to the public to adhere to environmental regulations, highlighting that those who choose to dispose of rubbish irresponsibly will ultimately be the ones held accountable for cleaning it up through such court-ordered tasks.
To date, enforcement efforts by SWCorp have led to the issuance of 1,042 Offence Notification Notices across seven different states. These figures include 820 Malaysian citizens and 222 foreign nationals who were caught littering in public zones or along roadways. Khalid emphasised that these statistics are a direct result of proactive surveillance and heightened enforcement activities conducted at high-risk locations throughout the country to ensure better public hygiene standards.
The corporation is now preparing to launch the third phase of its community service order programme for littering offences, which is scheduled to take place simultaneously across six states on 28 March. While Melaka will not be included in this particular round, the initiative aims to expand its nationwide influence following successful previous runs. The first series of these community service sessions was conducted on 13 February across five states, followed by a second session held along Jalan Pudu in Kuala Lumpur on 12 March.
Currently, the new anti-littering framework has been adopted by the Federal Territories along with seven states, namely Johor, Melaka, Negri Sembilan, Kedah, Perlis, and Pahang. The legislation serves as a primary tool for SWCorp to manage public cleanliness and discourage small-scale littering that accumulates into significant environmental issues. By integrating community service with monetary fines, authorities hope to foster a more responsible attitude toward waste management among both locals and visitors.
