The government is studying implementing nationwide legislation to address the issue of plastic waste pollution in the 13th Malaysia Plan.
Natural Resources and Environment Sustainability Minister Nik Nazmi stated that this move is part of the ministry's efforts to sustainably manage plastic waste.
He mentioned that the current laws and enforcement are limited to the local government level and do not constitute a comprehensive policy.
“Currently, we mainly rely on local government laws and regulations, but this is insufficient. Therefore, we are exploring whether it can be implemented in the 13th Malaysia Plan.”
He said this to reporters after attending the launch ceremony of the Mobula 8 waste cleaning vessel today.
Nik Nazmi stated that the issue of plastic waste pollution will also be discussed during the ASEAN Chairmanship in 2025.
He explained that since China tightened its import policy on plastic waste in January 2018, countries like Indonesia and the Philippines, in addition to our country, have also begun facing the issue of foreign plastic waste influx.
“Therefore, we will discuss this issue at the ASEAN level as it is not solely a problem for our country.”
He welcomed the Swiss NGO The SeaCleaners for donating the Mobula 8 waste cleaning vessel to the Marine Research Foundation to reduce plastic pollution in our oceans.
He said the vessel will soon be stationed in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.
“Another NGO, The Ocean Cleanup, is collaborating with the Selangor state government to clean the Klang River.”