Selangor to review halal, non-halal waste separation guidelines

 

Selangor exco Ng Suee Lim said the state government will review provisions on the separation of halal and non-halal waste listed in the Selangor State Planning Guidelines and Standards for Commercial Development 2025.

Ng clarified that the policy itself was not new, stressing that requirements on segregating waste based on halal status existed since 2010.

However, he acknowledged that provisions in the latest guidelines have resulted in differing interpretations and prompted questions about how they would be implemented.

The guidelines are one of six volumes under the Selangor State Urban Planning Guidelines 2025.

"The state government is also of the view that several aspects of implementation should be reviewed to ensure that they are more practical, clear and in line with current needs," the Sekinchan assemblyperson said in a statement yesterday.

This comes after Petaling Jaya MP Lee Chean Chung raised concerns over the provision, saying it would result in additional operating costs.

PJ MP Lee Chean Chung

While asking whether the Selangor administration had conducted sufficient engagement with affected parties, Lee also questioned whether the need for the policy had been adequately explained.

He further urged the state government to withdraw all six volumes of the Selangor State Urban Planning Guidelines 2025, pending a thorough review.

Collecting feedback

Ng assured that the state government, together with the Town and Country Planning Department, will review all relevant provisions to strengthen the guidelines.

He said feedback will be sought from stakeholders and government agencies as part of the process.

Exco Ng Suee Lim

"This review aims to ensure that the guidelines remain relevant and practical to implement, taking into account the reality of operations on the ground and in line with the policies and guidelines adopted by the Housing and Local Government Ministry.

"The state government emphasises that the approach taken is not to introduce new policies, but rather to improve and streamline the existing guidelines to meet current needs and safeguard the interests of the entire community in the state," Ng added.

Non-Muslim houses of worship issue

Previously, another volume under the Selangor State Urban Planning Guidelines 2025 - the Selangor State Planning Guidelines and Standards for Community Facilities 2025 - sparked controversy over provisions affecting non-Muslim houses of worship.

Lee was also the first to highlight issues related to those provisions.

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The guidelines were approved in an exco meeting in November last year but only came into public focus on May 23.

Several groups, including the Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism (MCCBCHST), criticised the provisions, describing them as restrictive conditions on non-Muslim places of worship.

The Selangor government subsequently clarified that the guidelines would apply only to future developments and would not affect existing commercial areas.

Implementation has since been put on hold pending consultations between the government and religious associations. - Mkini