PORT KLANG: The Customs Department vowed to not allow Malaysia to be made a dumping ground for smuggled waste.
Its director-general Datuk Anis Rizana Mohd Zainudin said they would collaborate with police to investigate the smuggling of e-waste into Malaysia.
"We won't allow syndicates to turn our country into a dumping ground for other countries' waste.
"Based on our records, this year, we have already detected 10 attempts to smuggle in waste, including electronic waste," she said at Wisma Kastam Selangor here, today.
In the most recent case, Anis Rizana said they detected two shipping containers with 35.13 tonnes of plastic scrap which arrived at Westport on July 23.
"Based on our investigations, the import manifest document declared the contents as high density poly ethylene lump.
"Further checks revealed the container came from the American continent."
She said they were investigating the smuggling attempt.
Earlier this month, following a recent raid in Johor, illegal electronic waste processing plants have caught the attention of the police.
Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain was quoted saying they were paying serious attention to such plants, which were notorious for causing noise and air pollution.
He said the locations of these illegal plants would be determined in phases by the Anti-Money Laundering Criminal Investigation Unit in Bukit Aman.
Those with information on smuggling activities can contact the Customs toll free hotline at 1800-88-8855 or go to the nearest Customs Department office.