ILLEGAL plastic recycling factories that have been shut down are known to restart operations again or move to a different location.Kuala Langat Environmental Action Association secretary Pua Lay Peng said it will be tough to eradicate all such illegal factories nationwide by July.“It is doable though if the local councils can strictly monitor and prevent them from secretly restarting their operations.“These plastic recycling factories won’t stop operating so easily as there are still a lot of raw materials for them to work with,” Pua said, adding that the raw materials are cheap to import.
It was reported that the authorities aim to shut down all illegal plastic waste recycling factories nationwide by July after surpassing its target to close at least 100 such premises before the first quarter of the year.According to data released by the Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change Ministry (Mestecc), two in every five plastic recycling factories in Malaysia are found to be operating illegally.Mestecc said 109 out of 274 plastic recycling factories that were raided are unlicensed operations.To date, the government has shut down 140 factories, including licensed factories found to be flouting the Environmental Quality Act 1974.
Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change Minister Yeo Bee Yin said there was a pressing need to shut down illegal premises following the influx of plastic waste brought into the country since the middle of 2017.While stakeholders lauded the firm stance of Yeo, they also said the solution to the nation’s plastic waste crisis is not that simple.Sources told StarMetro that the illegal plastic waste factories, mostly concentrated in Selangor, are moving to other states including Kuantan (Pahang), Pasir Gudang (Johor), Chemor (Perak), and Lukut (Negri Sembilan).Mestecc’s data shows that so far, Selangor is the hotspot with the highest number of premises shut down with 78, followed by Perak (16), Kedah (15), Negri Sembilan (12) and Penang (10).There are no illegal plastic recycling premises in Melaka, Perlis, Kuala Lumpur, Pahang, Terengganu, Sarawak and Labuan
“It’s a complex problem,” said Greenpeace public and engagement campaigner Heng Kiah Chun.Another concern, he said, is the safe removal of unrecyclable plastic waste left by illegal factories that have been shut down or those that escaped detection by the authorities.“We welcome the efforts by the government but at the same time, we still find open burning of plastic waste in the Jenjarom and Klang area,” he said.Heng added that the government must also look into rehabilitating areas that have been plagued by illegal factories including providing healthcare support for victims who fall ill from the toxic discharge in the air, water, and ground.As many as 750,000 metric tonnes of plastic waste were reportedly brought into the country before the government froze their import.
Read more at https://www.thestar.com.my/metro/metro-news/2019/03/05/firm-action-needed-on-plastic-waste/#BHWsuDOMYMS0wbA7.99
