M'sia needs comprehensive solutions to address plastics problem
Malaysia needs a circular economy approach to waste management where waste can be a resource and materials can have an extended lifecycle by being properly recycled, according to plastics-related industry groups.
The groups stressed that clear regulatory and investment framework is crucial to encourage the desired transformation into a high value, advanced, automated, clean and compliant industry.
“A clean and vibrant plastics recycling industry would be a new engine of growth for employment and exports,” Malaysian Plastics Manufacturers Association and Malaysian Plastics Recyclers Association said in a joint statement yesterday.
Currently, opaque regulations and fluid policy directions are hurting investments in the recycling sector as investors are unsure of economic viability.
Thus, a healthy recycling industry needs effective sorting facilities or Material Recovery Facilities where separated recyclables are sorted into waste streams.
Hence, recyclable plastics should not be buried in a landfill, where they are lost as a resource instead of being used over and over.
The groups also supported the government’s efforts to escalate enforcement against illegal dumping such as in Sungai Petani and against smugglers who made false declarations to the Royal Malaysian Customs Department to illegally import ‘sampah plastik’.
“We also support the clampdown on illegal recycling operations, with about 150 of these shut down by the government to date.
“We continue to support and are ready to assist the government in efforts to crack down on unscrupulous and illegal operators and to protect the environment,” they said.
The groups pointed out that rampant illegal dumping, such as in Sungai Petani recently showed that policy framework and infrastructure for materials recycling is incomplete and needs realignment. —Bernama