20-year-old e-hailing driver learns the hard way after littering cigarette butts, urges public to dispose of waste properly.

KUALA LUMPUR: A littering offender serving court-ordered community service today had a simple message for the public: do not let a “small” mistake turn into a big lesson.

The 20-year-old e-hailing driver said tossing a cigarette butt on the ground—the offence he was convicted for—may seem harmless, but the consequences are anything but.

“It looks small, but the impact is big. It’s just a cigarette butt, but it can lead to serious trouble,” he said, urging smokers and the public to dispose of waste properly instead of throwing it on the ground.

He advised smokers to look for proper bins or ashtrays when disposing of cigarette butts, warning that careless disposal can cause unwanted incidents and put others at risk.

The offender said being ordered to perform community service was a tough but necessary wake-up call, especially for someone trying to make a living.

“Earning money isn’t easy. When this happens to you, you realise it’s really not worth it,” he said, adding that while what he did was wrong, he hoped others would learn from seeing the consequences play out publicly.

The community service exercise was carried out under the supervision of SWCorp Malaysia as part of ongoing efforts to curb littering and promote cleaner public spaces.

 The Sun Malaysia