Rubbish strewn along Sungai Tebrau riverbank in Johor Baru. The state government is taking a sterner stance against littering in the state. — THOMAS YONG/The Star
Johor will be taking a stricter approach to dealing with litterbugs in a bid to keep the state clean and protect its environment.
Johor housing and local government committee chairman Datuk Mohd Jafni Md Shukor said the state government would no longer tolerate the bad habit.
“We already have regulations in place at local council level and Solid Waste Management and Public Cleansing Corporation (SWCorp) to deal with litterbugs.
“In fact, the Street, Drainage and Building Act 1974 which was highlighted by Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi recently has been around for a long time.
“However, we have been giving the people a chance to change their habits instead of issuing fines.
“Now the time has come for us to be strict and we hope that the people understand,” Mohd Jafni told StarMetro.
Onn Hafiz recently said that those found littering in public places would face a RM500 fine under the Street, Drainage and Building Act 1974.
Mohd Jafni says littering is still a problem six months into the Johor Bersih campaign.
“We need to remind the public that such a regulation exists and they should not just ignore the calls to stop littering,” said Mohd Jafni.
“The state government has been implementing the ‘Johor Bersih’ initiative since July last year.
“Apart from awareness campaigns, the initiative also includes community cleaning activities that are held on a weekly basis at all local councils.”
He said littering was still a problem six months into the campaign.
“And that is why there is a need for us to get tough with them.
“We will continue with the ‘Johor Bersih’ initiative this year but this time, it will go hand in hand with tighter enforcement from local councils and SWCorp,” he added.
Mohd Jafni encouraged the public to help the government by channelling rubbish complaints to the relevant authorities.
“We urge people to jot down the necessary details of the offence, such as the location of the dumped trash, the registration number of the vehicle involved as well as photos if possible.
“This will make it easier for us to take action and issue fines,” he said.
He noted that SWCorp was able to take action against an individual recently when a video of the person throwing rubbish at an illegal dumpsite went viral on social media.
“From the video, we were able to identify the car registration number and later, the address of the offender.
“We were then able to send a notice to him and call him up for further investigation.
“The case is being investigated under Section 71(1) of the Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Act 672 where if convicted, the offender can be fined between RM10,000 and RM100,000 or jailed,” he said.
