SHAH ALAM: THE authorities are hot on the heels of illegal plastic recycling factory operators who have taken the move to “decentralise” their activities following a major crackdown in Selangor.
In the past year, numerous massive coordinated enforcement operations mounted by the Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change Ministry (MESTECC) and joined by the local authorities, as well as about six to seven agencies, including Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) and the Department of Environment (DoE), have forced operators to shut down their illegal businesses in Selangor and move elsewhere.
Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change Minister Yeo Bee Yin said there was information that the illegal operators that imported plastic waste from countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand had shifted their operations to other states throughout the country.
It is learnt that there are now such activities in Negri Sembilan, Kedah and Johor.
“This problem is most serious in Selangor, which is home to 60 per cent of illegal factories.
“It is the most severe compared with other states. This is because of the ports that provide easy access.
“These operators are moving elsewhere as we have closed down the illegal premises in Selangor.
“Wherever there is a port, you will have the import of plastic waste. We are working with the Kedah, Negri Sembilan and Johor governments to curb the existence of these illegal factories.
“We will cooperate with just about anybody to totally eliminate this.
“So in states where we have identified the illegal factories, we are working with the state governments on coordinated enforcement operations.
“Our idea is to close down 100 illegal factories by the first quarter of this year.
“The numbers are on the rise and we are very near to hitting our target,” Yeo told the New Sunday Times.
It was recently reported that more than 60 illegal factories operated in Selangor, Negri Sembilan (10), Kedah (10), Perak (7), Johor (6), Penang (2) and Kelantan (1).
On Jan 17, Yeo had said 64 illegal plastic recycling factories in Selangor had been closed down, while 39 cases were brought to court.
Out of the 39, three cases saw individuals fined a total of RM229,000, with one accused sentenced to a day’s jail.
Yeo said the problem started when China closed its doors on the importation of HS Code 3915 plastic waste, which saw developed countries sending it to Southeast Asian countries, including Malaysia, that led to the mushrooming of these illegal factories.
Yeo said the closing down of the illegal factories would not stop at 100, pledging that coordinated enforcement operations would continue even after the first quarter of this year.
She said once an illegal factory was identified and shut down, it was crucial that monitoring was carried out to ensure it remained closed.
“Not only that, we are trying to use the National Land Code to make it mandatory for land owners to remove and dispose of plastic waste from the properties in the right manner.
“Otherwise, we will confiscate their land. The landowners must get rid of the waste by giving it to a licensed landfill operator, a cement plant that can burn it or to whoever is willing to accept it.
“I am expecting that by mid-year or the third quarter of the year, we will be able to sort out the influx of plastic waste that came into the country from January to July last year. This was before the freeze on approved permits to import used plastic.
“We will be able to clear everything.
“Until July last year, we imported 750,000 tonnes of rubbish and right now, we are suffering the aftermath.”
In Selangor, shutting down illegal factories involves the local authorites issuing notices to TNB and Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor (Syabas) to disconnect the utilities.
For TNB, which comes under Yeo’s purview, she said the electricity supply would be disconnected after seven days of the notice to deter the illegal factories from operating further.
The next step is to issue a notice to landowners which gives them a certain period to clear the waste. Otherwise, the land will be seized.
MESTECC, Yeo said, was working with the Selangor government to seize land from owners who did not comply with the directive.
She said this would start in Selangor before the strategy was used in other states nationwide.
Aside from working with state governments, Yeo said there would be joint ministerial cooperation with the Housing and Local Government Ministry (KPKT) to tackle the import of plastic waste.
“At the moment, we are coming out with a new policy on plastic scraps and we are finalising it together with KPKT. We will be strict and we are not going to accept any rubbish at all.”
She said after the illegal factories were shut down and the plastic waste cleared, MESTECC would beef up enforcement to ensure there were no more such activities and focus on strengthening cases that could be brought to court.
Engagements with small- and medium-sized enterprises, as well as schools, would be carried out to create awareness of environmental sustainability.