Malaysia welcomed 2026 with tougher anti-littering enforcement, as New Year’s Eve celebrations saw less waste in the capital amid expanded efforts to keep the country clean.
About 3.2 tonnes of rubbish were scooped up from three major hotspots in Kuala Lumpur – Dataran Merdeka, the KLCC area and Bukit Bintang – after the countdown, according to waste contractor Alam Flora.
The figure marked an 11 per cent drop from the 3.6 tonnes collected a year earlier, officials said.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim was among the hundreds of thousands who thronged the city to watch light shows, fireworks, concerts and other events to ring in the new year that also kept sanitation workers busy.
Alam Flora said more than 150 workers were deployed from late evening on Wednesday until the following morning, supported by dozens of mobile rubbish bins placed around high-traffic areas to manage crowds and waste.
As the crowds soaked in the revelry, officers issued 42 notices to people, including foreigners, caught littering during a nationwide operation.
