AHMAD FAIRUZ OTHMAN AND SYED UMAR ARIFF New Straits Times 28 May 19;
PUTRAJAYA: More than 400 tonnes of imported, contaminated plastic waste in Port Klang, Selangor, will be shipped back to their countries of origin today, signalling Malaysia’s effort to take the lead in the global crusade against unscrupulous export of scrap.
The move to send back the gargantuan amount of imported waste also conveys an official stand against irresponsible acts of dumping plastic waste on foreign soil, which took place after last year’s import ban by China when the country decided to quit its role as the world’s major plastic waste processor.
Malaysia was emboldened in its approach to regulating trans-boundary plastic waste movement after it successfully negotiated the Basel Convention to amend certain annexes, which saw government permission being required for the import of plastic waste from other countries.
Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change Minister Yeo Bee Yin told the New Straits Times the war against imported plastic waste was about upholding Malaysia’s dignity among developed countries, which have been practising a kind of “recycling myth”.
She was tight-lipped on the details of the outgoing waste as most of it would be revealed in a press conference to be held in Port Klang today.
However, it was learnt that at least seven containers of contaminated plastic waste would be returned to their countries of origin. The cost would be borne by companies responsible for the export.
“We should not let ourselves become a dumping ground. That’s why we want to control it (plastic waste imports). We want to fight back.
“They (other countries) are dumping it on us. We will fight back and send it back to them.
“They have to be responsible for this as it’s really not only about the environment, but the dignity and sovereignty of the country,” Yeo said in a special interview with the NST at the ministry here.
Yeo said today’s shipment was a continuation of efforts to rid the country of plastic waste imports, which also ended up in illegal plastic recycling factories in several states, including Selangor.
She said as a solution, state governments could enforce the National Land Code against landowners and occupants who allowed illegal plastic recycling factories to operate on their land.
She said this was done in cases that occurred in Selangor.
As a result, many new cases were successfully resolved and the ministry was now receiving fewer complaints of illegal plastic recycling plants.
“There have been cases in Negri Sembilan, Kedah and Penang, but the most serious is in Selangor because it is near Port Klang.”
In February, the NST highlighted the sufferings of residents in Jenjarom near Kuala Langat, Selangor, who had to endure the fumes and stench produced by the numerous illegal plastic recycling factories there.
It was reported that those factories processed an estimated 17,000 tonnes of plastic shipped to Malaysia.
Contaminated plastic waste dumping has become a problem worldwide since early last year, when China banned the import of those plastics. The ships (ferrying the plastic waste) which were on their way to China had to be diverted. Many of those ships sailed to Southeast Asian destinations. Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand were affected due to the influx of plastic waste arriving at their ports.
Yeo said to address the problem, the ministry had imposed a freeze on the import of plastics categorised under “HS Code 3915”, which involves plastic waste, scrap and parings, since July last year.
“We closed down 150 illegal plastic recycling factories, but we realised this was not enough.
“There was a need to curb it at its source, which is at the ports because it (plastic waste) keeps coming in. Then we realised it was entering the country not under the right code. It gets smuggled in as well. Plastic waste gets smuggled in,” said Yeo.
She described the discovery of these various layers of violations as something akin to “opening up a can of worms” as it painted a grave picture of the state of waste management not only in the region, but the entire world.
Yeo said it was possible that the illegally imported plastic waste in Malaysia is the highest recorded regionally, but it may also be possible that other countries have an equal or higher number of cases that go unrecorded.
“I think the statistics we are seeing may only be partly reflecting (the reality). I do not want to say anything that might shift this responsibility to others.
“But I think the issue is bigger than what is reported and involves more countries other than Malaysia.
“The Basel Convention is very important in this matter. That’s why exporting countries taking responsibility and countries like us setting a good example are important.
“We must seek justice in this. It’s not fair for people to dump rubbish on us, and that’s why we need to fight.”
During the 14th Conference of Parties to the Basel Convention (COP14) held from April 29 to May 10 in Geneva, Switzerland, Malaysia successfully negotiated for the convention to amend the annexes that were related to the transboundary movement of plastic waste.
This move was in support of an original proposal by Norway for unrestricted plastic waste under the convention’s Annex IX to be classified under Annex II, which categorised the waste as requiring special consideration in the form of “prior informed consent” (PIC).
This consent would be granted by the importing country before a transboundary plastic waste movement was initiated.
Malaysia has been a party to the Basel Convention since 1993 alongside 186 other countries.
Yeo said the Malaysian experience in its fight against the plastic waste import stood as an example for other countries, and was important to make sure that hazardous plastic waste was not continually shipped to other countries.
“If (the waste) cannot enter Malaysia or Indonesia, it will go to countries that have no control (over such matters).
“Let’s say other countries receive it and cannot manage it, and it gets thrown into the ocean. Everybody shares the same ocean, and we will not solve the problem. The whole thing must be solved through an international framework.” --Additional reporting by Dawn Chan
Malaysia to send back 60 containers of foreign garbage soon
Malaysia is putting a stop to the practice of unscrupulous dumping of foreign garbage into our soil. Pic by NSTP/SADDAM YUSOFF
Dawn Chan New Straits Times 28 May 19;
PORT KLANG: Malaysia is putting a stop to the practice of unscrupulous dumping of foreign garbage into our soil.
For a start, a total of 60 containers filled with 3,000 metric tonnes of garbage will be shipped off to its countries of origin in the near future.
The first phase of the massive operation began by getting rid of 10 containers, filled to the brim with 450 metric tonnes of contaminated plastic waste. They originated from the United States, Japan, Canada, Australia, China, Saudi Arabia and even Bangladesh.
The containers have been stuck at Westports Malaysia in Pulau Indah here since April last year.
In addition, five containers have been sent back to Spain on April 29, while 50 containers that have been brought in illegally are currently being inspected.
The Environmental Quality Act 1974 will be enforced against the importers, made up of local players, beginning today where a notice will be served against them with instruction to start the process of shipping the containers back to the counties of origin (exporters).
The importers (from the receiving country) will then have 14 days to complete the necessary procedures of sending back the contaminated plastic waste at their expense, where they have to bear the shipping and storage costs, to send back the containers to the countries of origin.
If the importers fail to do so, they risk legal action being taken against them.
Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change Minister Yeo Bee Yin had today inspected the containers to be shipped off at Westports Malaysia.
Having seen first hand the amount of contaminated, non-homogeneous, low quality and non-recyclable plastic waste which was bound for processing facilities that do not have the technology to recycle them in an environmentally-sound manner, Yeo was visibly angry.
“I am very angry. I want to send this back. This (bread bag) plastic is from Canada. It is consumed in Canada and people diligently separate their waste to help the environment but it ended up here instead,” Yeo said.
She said the containers were illegally brought into Malaysia under false declaration and other offences, which clearly violated the environmental law.
Yeo also discovered milk bottles from Australia that were infested with dead maggots, electronic waste, electrical cables, wires, as well as a Carrefour supermarket plastic bag scrap.
One container from Bangladesh contained jumbo bags of CDs while another from China was found to have been filled with illegal waste but wrapped around clean packaging to mislead the authorities.
Yeo said the ministry, through the Department of Environment, had inspected 123 containers from countries such as the United Kingdom, Netherlands, Germany, Singapore, Norway and France. The process is on-going.
At a press conference later, Yeo said their one-month investigations had also discovered that a recycling company in the United Kingdom had been exporting contaminated plastic waste to Malaysia for the past two years.
“In the span of two years, the company has exported 1,000 containers containing more than 50,000 metric tonnes of plastic waste. Citizens of the United Kingdom believed it is for recycling purposes but it is dumped in our country instead.
“This is serious as Malaysians are suffering from the consequences of pollution of air as well as rivers. It is unfair and uncivilised.
“Malaysians have the right to clean air, clean water and sustainable resources. We urge the developed countries to review their management of plastic waste and stop shipping the garbage out to developing countries.
Yeo cautioned that Malaysia would not hesitate to return the waste without mercy.
“We will fight back and not be bullied by developed countries. We view this seriously as it concerns our sovereignty and sustainability,” she said.
She said the names of the recycling companies would be compiled to be sent to the respective governments, with calls made to take action and conduct invest
igation.
Yeo added that other ports in Malaysia would also be checked for containers with contaminated plastic waste.
She said unscrupulous Malaysians who had a hand in bringing in the foreign garbage were traitors to the country.
“Malaysians who import foreign garbage into Malaysia are traitors to the country’s sustainability. They must be stopped and brought to justice.
“The Malaysian government and our foreign counterparts have the responsibility to ensure that the transboundary garbage does not happen again,” she said.
