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Sumber: Nikkei Asian Review: https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Environment/Malaysia-orders-plastic-waste-to-be-returned-to-origin-country?utm_source=paid.outbrain.com&utm_campaign=BA%20MY&utm_medium=referral&fbclid=IwAR1aQkVyN-ujP6UndqN4T2XN1yaeOK79I4VnveAk0FbFtbl0J0d2o2jzWPs
Malaysia orders plastic waste to be returned to origin country
Kuala Lumpur will send back imports illegally smuggled in after China's ban
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| Malaysia's Minister of Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change Yeo Bee Yin shows a sample of a plastic waste shipment in Port Klang, Malaysia on May 28. © AP |
TOKYO -- Malaysia has ordered local port authorities to immediately
send back hundreds of tons of plastic waste to their point of origin, in
a signal that the country is stepping up in a global initiative against
the unscrupulous export of waste products.
Malaysia's Environment
Minister Yeo Bee Yin said that Malaysia would be starting with the
shipping out of 450 metric tons of contaminated plastic waste that had
been smuggled into the country, originally coming from developed
countries including Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, United States
and China, as well as other nations like Bangladesh.
Speaking to
reporters on Tuesday at Westport, Malaysia's largest port, Yeo said the
plastic waste contained in 11 shipping containers would be sent back to
their country of origin immediately and described the Malaysians
responsible for bringing the plastic waste into the country as traitors.
"Malaysia
won't continue to be a dumping ground for developed nations and those
responsible for destroying our ecosystem with these illegal activities
are traitors," she said.
"We view the perpetrators of
this act as traitors to the country's sustainability and therefore they
should be stopped and brought to justice."
The problem of dumping
contaminated plastic waste came to the fore early last year when China
banned such imports. Ships that were carrying plastic waste to China had
to be diverted, with many of them sailing instead to Southeast Asian
destinations. Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand were particularly
affected by the influx of plastic waste to their ports.
Yeo also
criticized developed countries for claiming to be
"environmentally-conscious" while ignoring where non-homogeneous,
low-quality, non-recyclable plastic waste ends up after their consumers
throw it away.
"Developed countries like the U.K. always
prioritize recycling and its people follow suit, but they do not realize
this waste is dumped in our country," she said.
"This practice is
unfair and uncivilized, which is why we urge developed countries to
reevaluate their waste disposal methods and stop shipping garbage to
other countries. If they continue to ship garbage here, we will not
hesitate to return it," the minister added.
Malaysia's environment
ministry imposed a freeze on the import of plastics categorized under
"HS Code 3915," which covers plastic waste, scrap and parings, in July
last year.
During the recent 14th Conference of Parties to the
Basel Convention (COP14) in Geneva, Malaysia supported Norway's proposal
for unrestricted plastic waste under the convention's Annex IX to be
classified under Annex II, therefore categorizing such waste as needing
special consideration in the form of "prior informed consent."
This consent would be granted by an importing country before any transboundary movement of plastic waste was initiated.
About 187 countries are currently parties to the Basel Convention.
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