The heritage state began round-the-clock enforcement on July 1 that applies equally to residents and tourists.
Anyone caught dropping so much as a cigarette butt can be taken to court. If convicted, they can be fined up to 2,000 ringgit (US$490), ordered to perform up to 12 hours of community service within six months, or both.
Patrol teams from the Penang Island City Council and Seberang Perai City Council can now film offenses at public hotspots and issue a notice on the spot, ending a six-month grace period.
“There will be no warnings. Once our enforcement officers obtain sufficient evidence through body camera recordings, they have the authority to issue a notice immediately,” state local government committee chairman H’ng Mooi Lye said after a statewide enforcement walkabout in Bandar Perda, The Star reported.
H’ng said the law applied equally to residents, domestic visitors, foreign workers and tourists, with parents or guardians held responsible for offenses committed by minors.
The offenses cover throwing rubbish from vehicles, dumping waste into drains, and leaving litter in parks, on beaches or behind stalls at night markets, hawker centers and food courts.
Each patrol is led by an authorized officer, with body camera footage serving as evidence and, H’ng said, ensuring enforcement is carried out “transparently and professionally.”
The island council has about 170 body cameras and its mainland counterpart 17, backed by 1,822 CCTV cameras across the state, Named reported.
Those who defy a court-ordered community service can be fined separately between 2,000 ringgit and 10,000 ringgit.
A hawker at a food stall in Malaysia. Photo by Unsplash |
Penang joins a national clean-up drive that began on Jan. 1, when community service orders for littering took effect in the eight states and federal territories that adopted the amended Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Act 2007: Johor, Melaka, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Perlis, Kedah, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya.
Penang is one of four states that stayed outside that law, alongside Selangor, Kelantan and Terengganu. It is enforcing the order instead under 2025 amendments to the Local Government Act and the Street, Drainage and Building Act, which its executive council adopted on Nov. 12, 2025.
The state gave its two city councils six months to build the enforcement system, run public awareness campaigns and set up the notice and court process before full enforcement began, H’ng said.
George Town, the state capital, is one of Asia’s great street food destinations. Time Out ranked it the region’s best in 2025, placing it ahead of Hanoi, and its hawker stalls and colonial-era shophouses draw tourists year-round.
A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2008, the city is recognized for more than 500 years of trade and cultural exchange between East and West.
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