SINCE Malaysia froze the import of plastic waste into the country, some importers have tried to get around the ban by making different declarations.

Housing and Local Government Minister Zuraida Kamaruddin said such actions should be penalised.

“The importers change their declarations to something more general.

“It is like making false claims, which I think should be penalised,” she told a press conference after a visit at Penang Port’s Northern Butterworth Container Terminal this morning.

Malaysia has permanently banned the import of plastic waste following reports that the country was turning into a top dumping ground for plastic waste.

The government reportedly plans to completely phase out the import of plastic waste in three years, and then go fully local.

For now, importers are only allowed to bring in industrial plastic scraps that have already been cleaned, properly separated, and packed.

Zuraida said she met Penang Port and Customs Department officials, who briefed her about container vessels that bring in imported plastic waste and the situation with undeclared plastic waste.

She said there were 175 containers with undeclared plastic waste at the port, which could not be released because the importers had no approved permits from her ministry.

The practice among importers, Zuraida said, was to order plastic waste from the source first and then submit applications when the goods arrived.

“This is why the port and Customs are bogged down with these containers, which are stuck. It is an inconvenience to the authorities, wasting time, money, and resources.

“I will raise this issue at the cabinet meeting to discuss how we should deal with the problem faster and take stricter action.”

During a tour at the port, Zuraida said she also saw a container with clean industrial plastic waste mixed with other garbage, which the authorities could not allow in.

“I saw another container that only contained clean and sorted plastic waste. This kind of clean and homogenous post-consumer waste is allowed,” she said.

Zuraida said importers could get the green light to retrieve and collect their imported plastic waste if they complied with the ministry’s 18 conditions, which were enforced beginning October 26.

There were 114 companies with permits to import plastic waste previously, but she said only eight companies qualified now under the new regulations.

“The rest will have to buck up. If they want to do business, they have to improve their facilities and follow the 18 conditions,” she said.

Among the conditions are providing accurate categories of imported plastic waste, an endorsement letter from the Environmental Department for their factories’ operations, a valid business licence from the local council, and proper storage to house the waste.

Other conditions state that the importers must supply the list of buyers of the plastic resin, and are not allowed to import plastic waste from developing countries.

“Only imports from European Union countries, the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, and Japan are allowed now,” Zuraida said.

“Port authorities and Customs must be more careful in making sure the conditions and regulations are followed. We have to tighten the rules now.” – November 14, 2018.