KUALA LUMPUR: The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability (NRES) is identifying and compiling a preliminary list of problematic, unnecessary, and avoidable single-use plastics to ensure their systematic and ongoing elimination.
Its Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad said that this list would allow the targeted elimination (phasing out) and reduction (phasing down) of single-use plastics to be implemented more effectively.
He was responding to a question from Wong Shu Qi (PH-Kluang) during Dewan Rakyat’s oral question and answer session, who inquired about the progress of the Malaysia Plastics Sustainability Roadmap 2021-2030 (MPSR).
Nik Nazmi acknowledged that the MPSR’s implementation has been slightly delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to a surge in plastic use.
“For instance, the pandemic resulted in an increased use of plastic as consumers leaned more towards online food delivery and shopping, which in turn led to an excessive use of plastic packaging,” he said.
Additionally, he noted that efforts to eliminate single-use plastics are hindered by the fragmented jurisdictions between federal, state, and local authorities.
Nik Nazmi highlighted that the pollution charge for single-use plastic bags is only enforced in Penang, Selangor, the Federal Territories, Perak, Kedah, Johor, and Perlis, indicating that many states and sectors have yet to fully adopt the plastic-free agenda.
