NST Leader: Litterbugs must learn to clean up their act
AS high as 60 per cent of Malaysians are litterbugs, as estimated through data from the Housing and Local Government Ministry.
The New Straits Times reports that up to 60% of Malaysians are considered litterbugs, driven by ingrained habits rather than carelessness. These individuals often disregard the availability of rubbish bins and prefer to discard their waste on sidewalks, gutters, and roadsides. The issue is particularly prevalent among smokers who discard cigarette butts in public spaces.
Civic-mindedness is not a common trait among this group, contrasting sharply with the Japanese, who are often seen as a global model of cleanliness and hygiene. The enforcement of anti-littering laws has been intensified this year, with the Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Corporation (SWCorp) issuing 8,000 fines and community service orders across six states.
In a particularly noteworthy case, a 36-year-old Indonesian general worker was jailed for a month for littering a cigarette butt in Johor Baru, marking the first instance of imprisonment for such a minor offense. The swift and strict penalties, including fines and community service, aim to instill a sense of responsibility and deter future littering.
Brief written by urgent.news from New Straits Times's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
