2 foreign litterbugs first to be charged under Malaysia's new law
Both offenders - an Indonesian woman and a Bangladeshi man - had committed the offences in Johor Bahru on Jan 1.
Malaysia government agency SWCorp (Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Corporation) display notices prohibiting littering around Johor Bahru on Jan 20, 2026. (Photo: CNA/Zamzahuri Abas)
JOHOR BAHRU: An Indonesian woman and a Bangladeshi factory worker have become the first to be sentenced under Malaysia’s new anti-littering law.
Anita Lukman, 49, pleaded guilty at the Sessions Court in Johor Bahru on Friday (Jan 23) for throwing a cigarette butt and a plastic bottle onto the pavement in Stulang Laut.
She had committed the offence at Jalan Ibrahim Sultan at 12.41am on Jan 1, Malaysian news outlet New Straits Times reported.
Anita was fined RM500 (US$125) and ordered to perform six hours of community service, which must be carried out in two-hour shifts per day and completed within six months.
The court ordered Anita to serve 15 days in jail if she failed to pay the fine. Additionally, she may face a further fine of between RM2,000 and RM10,000 if she fails to complete the community service order.
The mandatory community service is part of stricter punishments for such offences, which kicked in this year in many parts of Peninsular Malaysia.
On top of fines of up to RM2,000, 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).
Anita, who was unrepresented, pleaded for leniency, saying that she is a single mother supporting two children aged eight and 15.
Malaysian news outlet The Star reported that Anita said she was only helping her friend with odd jobs, and her children risk skipping school if she does not send enough money home.
"I admit I was wrong and will not repeat it. I will do the community service, but I ask for the lightest fine as I cannot afford it. I am only here to help a friend," she said, as quoted by the New Straits Times.
Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Corporation (SWCorp) prosecuting officer Siti Adora Rahtimin requested a sentence that served as both a deterrence to the public and a form of rehabilitation of the offender.
In separate proceedings, 28-year-old factory worker Md Sultan was charged with a similar offence. The man, a Bangladesh national, had thrown a cigarette butt at the same location at around 1.27am on the same day.
However, he had requested a Bangladeshi translator to be present as he did not fully understand the charge. His case was postponed to Jan 28, with bail at RM1,000.
Johor SWCorp director Zainal Fitri Ahmad previously told CNA that the agency has caught 55 people for littering since the start of the year. More than half, or 28 of them, were foreigners, including five Singaporean tourists.
Foreigners who are caught littering will be given an offence notice. They will be informed later of a court date and may be sentenced then.
Johor SWCorp previously told CNA that foreigners caught littering are not barred from leaving or entering Malaysia at the initial stage and will be charged in court at a later date, in accordance with established legal procedures.
