Legal Dept now finalising legislative review on enforcement, gazetting new guidelines, says Jamaliah

American retreat from multilateralism frustrates delegates at UN talks as hopes of tackling key source of pollution dims

KUALA LUMPUR, July 22 — Plantation and Commodities Minister Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani today urged a streamlined approach among agencies managing plastic waste and proposed mandatory registration of all plastic recycling companies under the Investment, Trade and Industry Ministry (Miti) to boost oversight and enforcement.

KUALA LUMPUR, July 2 — SIRIM Bhd has been mandated to be the sole inspection body and certificate of approval (COA) issuer for waste plastic imports into Malaysia, effective July 1, 2025.

PUTRAJAYA, May 8 — The government is exploring the best approach to introduce a more progressive policy on plastic waste management, which has become the country’s biggest challenge, said Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad.

KUALA LUMPUR, March 20 — The Investment, Trade and Industry Ministry (Miti) said a sudden halt to the import of plastic waste could impact domestic plastic product production and the supply chain of related sectors.

PORT KLANG, Feb 10 — The government is considering introducing national-level legislation under the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP) to tackle plastic waste pollution, said Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad.

SHAH ALAM, Nov 25 — The state government plans to enforce a ban on the use of plastic bags from Friday to Sunday at any business premises in the state next year.

SEOUL, Nov 22 — South Korea has won international praise for its recycling efforts, but as it prepares to host talks for a global plastic waste agreement, experts say the country’s approach highlights its limits.

SEOUL, Nov 21 — K-pop music may be South Korea’s buzziest export but the industry needlessly creates mountains of plastic in its home market by churning out CDs that most fans don’t even listen to, critics said.

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 17 — The Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Ministry (NRES) is identifying and compiling a preliminary list of problematic, unnecessary, and avoidable single-use plastics to ensure their systematic and ongoing elimination.

MABINI, July 3  — Green campaigners in a diving resort in the Philippines have come up with the town’s shores: offering to swap a bag of rice for every sack of trash gathered by local residents.

KUALA NERUS, June 10 — The Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Ministry is drafting a policy to tackle pollution following global predictions that plastic in oceans will overwhelm the number of fish by 2050.

KUALA LUMPUR, June 6 — The government is mulling the introduction of dedicated legislation to address plastic disposal and pollution, which has been a major issue in Malaysia.

KOTA SAMARAHAN, April 1 — The Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Ministry will review the related laws to address plastic pollution in the country, said its minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad.

TELUK, March 20 — Solikah, an Indonesian housewife living in the fishing village of Teluk, was in tears as she pointed to piles of trash strewn on a beach close to her home of 40 years.

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 5 — The government is working on many fronts to phase out single-use, non-biodegradable plastics by promoting alternatives and sustainable substances in plastic production, in line with the Malaysia Plastics Sustainability Roadmap 2021-2030.

KUALA LUMPUR, April 25 — In the midst of a discussion on plastic waste, Federal Territories Solid Waste Management and Public Cleansing Corporation (SWCorp) director Ummi Kalthum Shuib whips out her phone to show her TikTok video.

SEREMBAN, April 12 — SWM Environment Sdn Bhd (SWM Environment) has urged the public to rinse out and reuse plastic containers used in food and drink packaging to reduce waste throughout Ramadan.

By Sheeda Fathil SHAH ALAM, Dec 3 — The state government will not permit new recycled plastic waste processing factories or premises to operate in Selangor, said state executive councillor for the environment Hee Loy Sian. He said the matter had been discussed and agreed upon during the...