110 containers of toxic waste discovered at Tg Pelepas Port
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Environment and Water minister, Datuk Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man (2nd from right), said the waste, weighing 1,864 tonnes, was the largest such find by the Department of Environment (DoE) since Malaysia signed the Basel Convention in 1993. NSTP/ MOHD YUSNI ARIFFIN
ISKANDAR PUTERI: The Environment and Water Ministry discovered toxic wastes in 110 containers that were in transit at the Port of Tanjung Pelepas ( PTP) here last month.
Its minister Datuk Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man said the discovery of the waste weighing 1,864 tonnes by the Department of Environment (DoE) was the largest since Malaysia signed the Basel Convention in 1993.
"The containers were discovered by PTP on June 3 and were confirmed by DoE as containing electric arc furnace (EAF) residue on June 15. In the declaration form, the containers were declared as zinc concentrate.
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"The containers originated from Romania and their final destination is Indonesia," said Tuan Ibrahim.
EAF residue is classified as a toxic and dangerous material under the Basel Convention and as a scheduled waste under the Environment Quality Regulations (Scheduled Waste) 2006.
It is the waste product of the metal industry and contains dangerous heavy metals like zinc, ferum, chromium, cadmium and lead.
"The DoE has never approved or received any notification from the exporter about the containers being in transit in Malaysia.
"Following the discovery, the department informed the Basel Convention authority for Romania regarding the repatriation of the containers to the country of origin."
Tuan Ibrahim was speaking to the media after checking the containers at the port here. Also present were the ministry's secretary General Datuk Seri Dr Zaini Ujang and DoE director General Norlin Jaafar.
Tuan Ibrahim also said the ministry has contacted Interpol for further investigation.
Meanwhile, Zaini said the containers will be returned to Romania as soon as possible.
"The cost of returning containers will be borne by the shipping company," said Zaini.
He added that between Jan 1 and June 30 this year, a total of 28 cases of illegal importation of scheduled waste were discovered and stopped by the DoE with the cooperation of the Customs Department and port authorities.
"In all the cases, the wastes were returned to the countries of origin," said Zaini.
Malaysia finds 1,800 tonnes of illegal toxic waste dumped at port
(CNN)Malaysia has discovered 110 containers of illegally dumped toxic waste in what authorities are calling "the biggest finding of its kind" in the country's history, according to state media Bernama.
The containers were dumped last month at the Port of Tanjung Pelepas, in Johor state, Bernama reported on Sunday. Inside was 1,864 tonnes of electric arc furnace dust (EAFD) -- a hazardous by-product of steel production, containing toxic elements such as lead and chromium.
They were brought into the country from Romania and falsely declared as concentrated zinc, officials said.
"The discovery of the EAFD, on transit in Malaysia and bound for Indonesia, is the biggest finding of its kind in Malaysian history," said Environment and Water Minister Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man in the Bernama report.
Malaysian authorities discovered 110 shipping containers of waste at the Port of Tanjung Pelepas in June 2020.
Malaysia is sending the waste back to Romania and asking Interpol to investigate.
Since China banned plastic waste imports in 2018 in an attempt to clean up its environment many countries have looked for alternative dumping grounds for their trash, creating problems for countries including Cambodia, Malaysia and the Philippines.
To limit irresponsible dumping, last year 187 countries added plastic to the Basel Convention, a treaty that regulates the movement of hazardous materials from one country to another. But the problem has continued regardless.
EAFD, the illegal shipment found in Malaysia, is classified as toxic waste under the Basel Convention, of which Malaysia is a signatory. Only the US, one of the world's biggest plastic producers, and Haiti have not ratified the agreement.
Global trash crisis
The waste dumping crisis has garnered greater global attention in recent years, as countries like Malaysia and the Philippines have begun naming and shaming waste exporters and sending dumped trash back to their ports of origin.
Last May, Malaysia sent back 450 tonnes of plastic waste to their countries of origin, including the the United Kingdom, Canada, the US, Japan, and the Netherlands.
"We urge the developed countries to review their management of plastic waste and stop shipping garbage to developing countries," said Yeo Bee Yin, Malaysia's then-minister of energy, science, technology, environment and climate change.
But the problem has persisted; Malaysian authorities have already identified and halted at least 28 attempts to illegally import waste this year, Tuan Man said according to Bernama.
Waste dumping has even escalated into highly publicized diplomatic clashes; last year, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte recalled his ambassador to Ottawa after Canada missed a deadline to take back tonnes of its garbage. The Canadian government finally repatriated their trash after Duterte said he was prepared to "declare war" over the issue.
Many of these governments, as well as nonprofit and environmental organizations, hailed the 2019 Basel Convention amendment as a step in the right direction. It specifically addressed the issue of plastic waste -- a huge concern for health and environmental experts.
Over 180 countries -- not including the US -- agree to restrict global plastic waste trade
Most types of plastic aren't biodegradable, and are extremely durable. That means the plastic products made today will probably persist for centuries, if not millennia, according to the Basel Convention site. Over time, some products break down and add to the vast collections of microplastics in our seas, air and food.
The trash industry has also created a rise in unlicensed plastic recyclers. Last year, Malaysian authorities found at least 148 unlicensed recycling factories that pollute local communities with toxic fumes and contaminate bodies of water.
When investigators searched through one such factory in the rural town of Jenjarom, they found tons of plastic from overseas -- a wrapper for Poland Spring bottled water from Connecticut, a bottle of Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula manufactured in New Jersey, and a bag of Metcalfe's Skinny Popcorn packaged in the United Kingdom.
A new amendment to the Basel Convention, which will come into effect in 2021, will allow only clean, homogeneous, and readily recyclable nonhalogenated polymers to be freely traded globally.
110 containers with toxic waste from Romania abandoned at PTP
ISKANDAR PUTERI (July 19): A total of 110 containers filled with toxic electric arc furnace dust (EAFD) from Romania were found abandoned at the Port of Tanjung Pelepas (PTP) last month.
Environment and Water Minister Datuk Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man said the transhipment waste weighing 1,864 tonnes was reported by the PTP on June 3 and confirmed by the Department of Environment (DOE) as scheduled waste on June 15.
He said the shipment had been listed as concentrated zinc in the declaration forms.
“DOE as the Basel Convention authority (for Malaysia) has not granted approval for or received notifications from the waste exporter to transit in Malaysia,” he told reporters after inspecting the containers at Wisma Kastam PTP here today.
Tuan Ibrahim said the EAFD is classified as a toxic waste under the Basel Convention, with the scheduled waste Code SW104 under the Regulations on Environmental Quality.
DOE has contacted the Romanian Basel Convention authority to arrange for the repatriation of the 110 containers and for Interpol to conduct further investigations.
“I would like to stress that as a member of the Basel Convention, Malaysia is committed to fulfilling obligations under the convention,” he added.
According to Tuan Man, DOE, with the cooperation of the Royal Malaysian Customs Department and port authorities, had foiled 28 cases of attempts to illegally import scheduled waste in the first half of this year.
“The discovery of the EAFD, on transit in Malaysia and bound for Indonesia, is the biggest finding of its kind in Malaysian history,” he said.
EAFD, a by-product of the steel-making industry, contains harmful heavy metals such as zinc, iron, chromium, cadmium and lead which could adversely affect not only the environment but also health, if not handled properly, said Tuan Ibrahim.
Also present during the inspection were Environment and Water Ministry secretary-general Datuk Seri Zaini Ujang, DOE director-general Norlin Jaafar and representatives from PTP.
Uncovered: Largest shipment of toxic waste illegally transiting through country
ISKANDAR PUTERI: The Environment and Water Ministry uncovered the biggest shipment of toxic waste transiting through Malaysia when it found 110 containers filled with electric arc furnace (EAF) residue.
Its minister Datuk Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man (pic) said that the 1,864 bags of EAF originated from Romania and was on its way to Indonesia, which imported the toxic items.
“The containers arrived at Port of Tanjung Pelepas (PTP) for trans-shipment early last month before the Department of Environment (DoE) was notified.
“Investigations showed that the declaration for the containers to be false with the authorities not being notified it was EAF, ” he said in a press conference held at PTP here on Sunday (July 19).