KUALA LUMPUR: Transboundary haze is among the main topics to be raised at the 15th Asean Ministerial Meeting on the Environment in Cambodia.
Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change Minister Yeo Bee Yin said her deputy, Isnaraissah Munirah Majilis, was representing Malaysia at the four-day meeting, which ends on Oct 10.
“The transboundary haze issue will be raised at the Asean level and definitely discussed in detail.
“My deputy will be there to talk about it,” she said at the opening of the Sustainable Brands 2019 Conference here.
On the four Malaysian companies implicated by the Indonesian government for open burning activities, Yeo said Jakarta had yet to update them on the matter.
She reiterated that the Indonesian government should take action against any party responsible for the fires.
On another matter, she said the government was hoping to achieve zero single-use plastic by 2030.
She said the government had allocated about RM8.5 million for research and development (R&D) and matching grants to four selected companies in the country to produce more eco-friendly products.
“The government will fund 70 per cent of the project, while the remaining 30 per cent will be borne by the companies.
“We do not want to give a full allocation to these companies as they might take the funds for granted.
“We want to encourage these companies to produce an alternative to plastic products such as hydrocarbon plastic.
“These four companies will use the latest technology and innovation to carry out projects such as rapid testing kits and request for proposal (RFP) for empty food branch and bio-resin (biodegradable) products.”
She added that the RFP for empty food branch projects was still premature and oil palm waste would be the alternative to producing plastic in the future.