A total of 17 individuals have been convicted while 39 other cases remain ongoing in court for offences under the Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Act 2007 (Act 672) in Melaka.
State Housing, Local Government, Drainage, Climate Change and Disaster Management Committee chairman Datuk Rais Yasin said 589 Notice of Offence (NPK) have also been issued since enforcement efforts began by local authorities.
He said strict action is necessary to ensure cleanliness in a tourism state like Melaka is maintained, while also raising public awareness on environmental responsibility.
He noted that most of the offences involve littering, with cigarette butts being the most commonly detected item. He reminded smokers to only dispose of cigarette waste in designated areas.
“We do not want locals or tourists visiting Melaka to be penalised for avoidable cleanliness offences,” he said after attending the “Anda Kitar, Kami Bayar” programme in conjunction with the 23rd anniversary of the Melaka Historic City Council (MBMB) at Dataran MBMB.
Rais also said public awareness on waste separation remains low, resulting in recyclable materials being disposed of at landfills instead of being reused.
He said failure to segregate waste at source makes recycling efforts more difficult and leads to valuable materials being wasted.
He added that collaborations between Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka (UTeM) and industry partners have shown that items such as plastic bottles and glass can be repurposed into commercial products like floor tiles.
The “Anda Kitar, Kami Bayar” programme continues to receive strong public participation, particularly in the collection of used cooking oil.
This year, the buyback price for used cooking oil increased to RM3.20 per kilogram, compared to RM3 previously.
Rais said the initiative not only helps reduce solid waste management costs but also provides financial returns to the public.
As of 10am, the programme had collected around 2.5 tonnes of used cooking oil worth RM8,000, along with 453kg of e-waste, 420kg of fabric, 110kg of glass bottles and tetrapak, 16kg of food waste, and 12kg of Quranic restoration materials.
The total value of materials collected stood at approximately RM4,656, while the environmental impact was estimated to have reduced carbon dioxide emissions equivalent to 1.1 million kilograms, or the preservation of more than 50,000 trees.
