Penang sends back 24 containers of paper waste to US, Canada

 

An investigation by the state Department of Environment found 19 of the containers were from Canada and five were from the US.

BUTTERWORTH: The Penang Department of Environment (DOE) has ordered 24 containers containing paper waste to be sent back to the US and Canada following an inspection at the North Butterworth Container Terminal (NBCT) here yesterday.

Penang DOE director Sharifah Zakiah Syed Sahab said today an inspection on the containers found that they contained paper waste, but there were no approval letters from the DOE’s director-general.

“Our investigation found 19 units of the containers from Canada and five from the US had paper waste.

“The importers did not have a licence from the local authorities or a manufacturer’s licence from the international trade and industry ministry (Miti).

“The importer’s failure to obtain approvals can lead to negative consequences, such as the possibility of illegal disposal and processing of waste, open burning as well as various other problems,” she said in a statement.

She said the recycling process at illegal premises could also cause serious pollution issues as it required large quantities of water, up to 45 cubic metres per tonne of paper.

Sharifah Zakiah also said the recycling operation could produce effluents that could pollute drains and rivers if not treated first.

“According to legislation, industrial effluents must be treated first to comply with the standard limits in accordance with the Environmental Quality (Industrial Effluent) Regulations 2009 before being discharged.”

She said there was currently a significant increase in the entry of solid waste, including paper waste, into the country since China announced a total ban on all types of solid waste from entering its country from Jan 1.

She said this had resulted in industry players, who usually exported the waste to China, to relocate their operations to Southeast Asian countries, including Malaysia.

According to her, waste materials illegally imported through the NBCT could also be further re-routed to other countries for processing or disposal.

“As such, there is a need for all parties to work together to prevent Malaysia from becoming the world’s dumping ground,” she said. - FMT