KUALA LUMPUR: The United Kingdom (UK) has agreed to repatriate 42 containers with illegal shipments of plastic waste from Malaysia, in accordance with the Basel Convention.
The authorities and shipping agents are working together in the repatriation process said a joint statement issued by the British High Commission in Kuala Lumpur and the Ministry of Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change (Mestecc).
The statement said the containers, which arrived at Penang Port between March 2018 and March 2019, were deemed illegal as they failed to comply with the necessary import papers.
The announcement came following a recent visit by the UK’s Environment Agency (EA) organised by the high commission.
This was in response to news of the illegal shipment of plastic waste from the UK.
The EA held a series of meetings with Mestecc, Environment Department, Customs Department, port authorities and other agencies in Malaysia.
These meetings resulted in greater mutual understanding of the regulatory framework and policies related to trade in plastic waste, as well as exchange of knowledge in sharing intelligence, inspection procedures, identification and repatriation of plastic waste said the high commission and Mestecc.
“The British High Commission’s proactive action of working closely with Mestecc in repatriating 42 plastic import containers in Penang Port is highly commendable” said Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change Minister Yeo Bee Yin.
She said the cooperation signified recognition that plastic pollution was a global issue which required commitment from various countries to address the problem.
“We hope the cooperation and understanding between Malaysia and United Kingdom would set an example for other countries with companies exporting contaminated plastic waste to developing nations,” she said.
British High Commissioner to Malaysia Charles Hay said the UK government shared the same concerns as the Malaysian government on the issue of plastic waste.
“The repatriation of these 42 containers reflects our commitment to fighting the illegal plastic waste trade.
“We look forward to working with Malaysia on the broader agenda of conserving the environment and addressing climate change, particularly with the UK becoming the
joint chair of the 26th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change (COP26) next year,” Hay added.
Mestecc and the high commission are already collaborating on a number of initiatives in tackling plastic pollution, including jointly hosting a VIP screening of BBC Studios’ Blue Planet II to raise public awareness on the perils of single-use plastics.
In addition, the high commission is offering UK expertise from WRAP Global,
a UK sustainability charity, to support Mestecc’s initiative in setting up the Malaysia Plastics Pact.
The high commission will also be sending UK experts to deliver a venture workshop in partnership with Mestecc, to promote research and innovation in mitigating the use of plastic.