AUDREY DERMAWAN AND BALVIN KAUR New Straits Times 14 Jun 19;
GEORGE TOWN: A senior Penang lawmaker has expressed shock over news report that Canada is refusing to take back plastic waste from Malaysia.
After all, Canada has willingly taken back its plastic waste from the Philippines.
State Environment Committee chairman Phee Boon Poh said he had given due respect to the Canadian representatives by not inviting the media during a visit to show the condition of the containers and their content at the North Butterworth Container Terminal (NBCT) on Tuesday.
“At the federal level, the Malaysian and Canadian ministers are dealing with the issue, but when they put out this kind of statement, they (Canadian government) are not showing any respect to Malaysia, especially Penang.
“We are prepared to meet with them, but to come up with such a statement is very irresponsible.
“I have every right as a representative of the people of Penang to express my unhappiness,” he said today.
Phee said it was morally wrong of Canada, a signatory of the Basel Convention, to deny responsibility.
“The Basel Convention signed recently is not imposed yet but when talking of legal and moral... morally, this is wrong.
“If you are not aware, it’s okay, but now you are made aware,” he said when responding to news reports that Ottawa does not plan to take back the plastic waste that came from the country.
In the Reuters report, Environment and Climate Change Canada spokesman Gabrielle Lamontagne was quoted as saying that “there are no plans for the Canadian government to pick up waste in Malaysia”.
Earlier today, the Penang Customs Department revealed that another 132 containers filled with plastic waste imported from foreign countries were found at the NBCT.
This brings the total number of such containers to 397.
Late last month, state Customs Department director Datuk Saidi Ismail had revealed that 265 containers filled with plastic waste had been stranded at the NBCT since January, incurring some RM5 million in port charges.
He said the plastic waste was imported by 11 companies under false codes and without Approved Permits (AP).
Saidi the majority came from Hong Kong (94), United States (68), Germany (28) and Canada (20).
Meanwhile, state Local Government Committee chairman Jagdeep Singh, who was also asked to comment on the matter, said he had instructed both the Penang Island City Council and the newly-upgraded Seberang Prai City Council to identify the movement of vehicles transporting such waste to ensure that they were sent to the correct place and not illegally dumped.
He said it was important for both councils to step up monitoring to know the vehicles’ whereabouts.
He added that he had requested both councils yesterday to submit comprehensive reports to him on the situation on the ground.
The reports will include information such as the number of illegal recycling factories in the state as well as those undergoing legalisation.
“In fact, we are looking at certain cases where I feel we might be taking court actions against those perpetrators.
“I think we must be firm. We must make an example of several cases so that it serves as a deterrent to future perpetrators,” he added.
Canada has no plans to take back plastic waste in Malaysia
The Star 14 Jun 19;
TORONTO: Ottawa has no plans to pick up plastic waste that originated in Canada and is currently parked in Malaysia, a spokesman for Canada's environment ministry said on Thursday.
In late May, the Malaysian government said it would send back 3,000 tons of plastic waste back to 14 countries of origin, including Canada, the United States, Japan, France, Australia and Britain.
In an email statement to Reuters, Environment and Climate Change Canada spokesman Gabrielle Lamontagne said, "there are no plans for the Canadian government to pick up waste in Malaysia."
He added that Canada received no information about any shipment of waste from Canada to Malaysia, and said the ministry has reached out to the Malaysian government for details.
There was no indication of how much of the plastic waste was of Canadian origin.
Foreign waste has emerged as a cause for diplomatic friction in recent months within Southeast Asia. The Philippines recalled diplomats to Canada in May over illegally disposed household waste from Canada that was not returned to Canada by the deadline.
The Canadian government reached a deal last month with Manila to take back the household waste, which is expected to be in Canada by late June.
Earlier this week, Canada announced plans to ban some single-use plastics like straws, bags and cutlery by early 2021 to reduce non-recyclable waste and protect the world's oceans. - Reuters
More containers filled with plastic waste found in Butterworth
Balvin Kaur New Straits Times 14 Jun 19;
BUTTERWORTH: The Penang Customs Department today revealed that another 132 containers filled with plastic waste imported from foreign countries were found at the North Butterworth Container Terminal (NBCT).
Its director Datuk Saidi Ismail said this brings the total number of such containers to 397.
He added that each 40-foot container carries a maximum payload of 28 tonnes. The total amount of plastic waste weighed an estimated 11,116 tonnes.
“We are finding more containers with plastic waste from foreign countries during our inspection at the port,” he told reporters at the Penang Customs Department store in Bagan Jermal here today.
Late last month, Saidi revealed that there were 265 containers filled with plastic wastes that had been stranded at NBCT since January this year, incurring some RM5 million in port charges.
He had also said that the plastic wastes were imported by 11 companies under false codes and without Approved Permits (AP).
On Monday, state Environment Committee chairman Phee Boon Poh said the state had been instructed by the Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change Ministry to send the 265 containers back to their country of origin.
He added that the state would be negotiating with the companies on freight charges, cost of returning, and an undertaking and assurance that it would not dump the waste into the ocean.
Saidi said of the 397 containers with plastic waste, the majority came from Hong Kong (94), United States (68), Germany (28) and Canada (20).
“These containers are imported in by the same 11 companies under a different code and without the AP,” he added.
Saidi said legal action, including issuing compounds of RM1,000 per container, had been taken against the companies.
Meanwhile, he also revealed that at least five containers filled with ‘clean’ plastics with APs were arriving at the Penang port on a daily basis.
Saidi said this raised questions over the effectiveness of the plastic waste ban.
In October last year, the Housing and Local Government Ministry issued a permanent ban on the import of plastic wastes.
Minister Zuraida Kamaruddin had said a circular had been issued to all local councils, especially in Selangor and Penang, to shut down all illegal plastic factories.
She had said all plastic waste factories would need approval from the ministry when applying for new APs to import plastic wastes.
China’s ban on plastic imports earlier last year saw a number of Chinese companies relocating their operations to Malaysia.
A news report claimed that Malaysia's imports of plastic wastes from its 10 biggest source-countries jumped to 456,000 tonnes between January and July 2018, versus 316,600 tonnes purchased in all of 2017 and 168,500 tonnes in 2016.
