KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah government, through the Environment Protection Department, will take over the scheduled waste management from the federal Department of Environment (DOE), from January 2026.
Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Christina Liew said that the matter was in line with the devolution of power, by the federal government to the Sabah government, under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), related to the environment.
“This matter has been agreed in the Sabah Cabinet meeting on Aug 21, chaired by Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor,” she said in a statement, today.
She said the Environment Protection Department has begun implementing several key actions, including amending the Environmental Protection Enactment 2002, enacting new subsidiary legislation for scheduled waste, and developing a management plan for scheduled waste in Sabah.
Additionally, the department is working on an online monitoring system for scheduled waste, and enhancing its capacity, with support from the federal DOE.
She added that the delegation of power by the federal government to the Sabah government related to the environment will be carried out in phases, and will start with the management of scheduled waste.
