PUBLISHED ONMarch 12, 2026 1:24 PMBYSean LerA 40-year-old Chinese man is set to be charged in Johor after amended anti-littering laws came into effect on New Year's Day this year.
He will be the first of five Singaporeans — nabbed in Johor for littering — to be charged in court there. They were caught between Jan 1 and 12.
Earlier in January, AsiaOne reported that the first Singaporean to be booked for littering was caught on Jan 1, while another two male Singaporeans were caught on Jan 3.
The fourth and fifth cases involved a 30-year-old male Singaporean and 40-year-old male Singaporean. They were booked on Jan 12 and 14 respectively.
Zainal Fitri Ahmad, director at the Solid Waste Management and Public Cleansing Corporation (SWCorp), told reporters at a press conference on Thursday (March 12) that the Johor Public Prosecutor's Office has agreed to press charges against three Singaporeans, including the 40-year-old.
The 40-year-old man, who was caught on Jan 14 outside KSL Mall, was alleged to have thrown a bottle on the ground.
Meanwhile, the duo who were nabbed for littering cigarette butts on Jan 3, will be charged on April 7. They are both 38 years old.
The public prosecutor's office is still deciding whether to press charges on the two Singaporeans caught on New Year's Day and Jan 12.
The trio to be charged in April are not the first Singaporeans to be charged for littering in Malaysia.
On Feb 9, 25-year-old Mohamed Nuh Qurasaini Kayat pleaded guilty to throwing a cigarette butt on the ground near a 7-Eleven convenience store in Jalan Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur, on Jan 1 at around 1.45am.
He told the court that he littered after being unable to find a rubbish bin and saw cigarette butts scattered on the floor.
When asked by reporters about this on Thursday, Zainal Fitri said not finding rubbish bins is just "an excuse".
"Even if there are no rubbish bins, one should not litter. Instead, one should put thrash in a bag and take them home to dispose of," he added.
Under the enhanced legislation, known as Act 672, those found guilty of littering may be fined up to RM2,000 (S$630). They may also be ordered to serve mandatory community service orders of up to 12 hours.
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