Govt To Tighten Requirements For Plastic Waste Import Licence

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 15 (Bernama) -- The Ministry of Housing and Local Government (KPKT) does not intend to change the National Solid Waste Management Policy, but will improve and tighten the requirements for Approved Permits (AP) on plastic waste imports. Its Minister Zuraida Kamaruddin said the ministry would be improving enforcement and monitoring activities on factories nationwide. “Following media reports exposing polluting factories, the ministry has checked and found them to be operating illegally without the APs to import plastic waste. “A committee was formed and examined 114 plastic factories with the approval to import plastics, but only eight failed to fulfil the conditions set by the ministry,” she said in response to a question from Charles Santiago (PH-Klang) in the lower house of Parliament or Dewan Rakyat here Thursday. Zuraida said the application for licenses to process plastic required a letter of agreement from the KPKT that would state the factory had received approval to import plastics. “This is a condition that has been implemented and a circular issued. At this time, the ministry has frozen licences for plastic waste imports and no instructions have been issued to approve new applications which must fulfil 18 new conditions,” she added. The KPKT had previously frozen the issuance of new APs for the import of plastic waste for three months from July 23, 2018. -- BERNAMA