{"id":390780,"date":"2026-01-04T09:29:07","date_gmt":"2026-01-04T09:29:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/390780\/"},"modified":"2026-01-04T09:29:07","modified_gmt":"2026-01-04T09:29:07","slug":"carrying-small-trash-bags-rubbish-in-pockets-how-malaysians-adapt-to-stricter-littering-rules","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/390780\/","title":{"rendered":"Carrying small trash bags, rubbish in pockets: How Malaysians adapt to stricter littering rules"},"content":{"rendered":"

JOHOR BAHRU \u2013 From carrying small rubbish bags to wearing clothes with pockets and keeping bins in their cars, Malaysians say they have adapted their daily habits in response to stricter enforcement against littering.<\/p>\n

Many noted that these practices were adopted even before the <\/p>\n

introduction of the Community Service Order<\/p>\n

<\/a> as an additional penalty for minor littering \u00adoffences, but the tougher approach has made them more conscious of how they dispose of waste in public spaces.<\/p>\n

Student management assistant Aisha Mohd Yusof, 39, said she has carried a small plastic bag wherever she goes since kindergarten.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a habit instilled in me from a very young age, and now that I have children of my own, I am teaching them to do the same.<\/p>\n

\u201cI used to carry a small plastic bag to keep dry rubbish collected throughout the day before emptying it at home or when I found a bin.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow there are foldable, recyclable bags that can be attached to keychains, which I use instead,\u201d Ms Aisha said, adding that she has two daughters aged 13 and nine.<\/p>\n

While she welcomed the inclusion of community service as a penalty for minor offences, she felt public shaming was unnecessary.<\/p>\n

\u201cI fully support the move because it will help keep the \u00adcountry clean and encourage responsible waste disposal.<\/p>\n

\u201cHowever, I do not think it is necessary to shame people by making them wear vests or \u00adpublicly identify them as \u00adoffenders. Community service itself is already a sufficient \u00adpunishment and deterrent,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

The community service punishment, under the Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Act 2007 (Act 672), <\/p>\n

came into force nationwide on Jan 1<\/p>\n

<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Under the law, offenders may be fined up to RM2,000 (S$635), and the court may also impose a community service order of up to six months, involving work not exceeding 12 hours in total.<\/p>\n

Retiree Tan Choo Oo, 63, said he keeps a small bin in his car to avoid littering while driving.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is not difficult to find \u00adrubbish bins in public places these days. Normally, I would just throw \u00adrubbish away, but on the rare occasion I cannot find a bin, I put it in my pocket.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe real test is when I am driving. As much as I try to avoid it, I sometimes instinctively throw rubbish out of the window.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat is why I decided to keep a small bin in my car, and it has really helped,\u201d he said, adding that he has used it for three years.<\/p>\n

Echoing Ms Aisha\u2019s views, Mr Tan said stricter penalties should not come with public humiliation.<\/p>\n

\u201cI do not believe that is the right way to educate either \u00adchildren or adults. It is enough for offenders to spend hours doing community service without making it public.\u201d<\/p>\n

For technician K. Kumar, 42, the stricter enforcement makes little difference to his daily \u00adroutine, as he already has the habit of keeping small rubbish in his pockets.<\/p>\n

\u201cSince working in Singapore about five years ago, I rarely wear trousers without pockets. I am used to keeping rubbish in my pockets and emptying them when I see a bin.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey are very strict about \u00adlittering there, and I think it is about time we follow suit, \u00adespecially now that we are trying to attract more visitors,\u201d he said. THE STAR\/ASIA NEWS NETWORK<\/p>\n

MalaysiaWaste managementLittering<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"JOHOR BAHRU \u2013 From carrying small rubbish bags to wearing clothes with pockets and keeping bins in their…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":390781,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[64,63,75,128],"class_list":["post-390780","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-environment","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-environment","tag-science"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/390780","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=390780"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/390780\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/390781"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=390780"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=390780"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=390780"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}