Malaysian authorities waiting for arrival of ship carrying plastic waste from US

By Zahratulhayat Mat Arif of The Straits Times

Environment and Water Minister, Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man (right) with Perak Chief Minister Datuk Saarani Mohamad at the launch of state-level World Water Day at Casuarina Hotel here, today. - STR/SHARUL HAFIZ ZAM.

IPOH: Malaysia will only allow a container from Los Angeles, suspected of carrying commercial plastic waste to return to the United States after documentation checks have been conducted, under the Basel Convention.

Environment and Water Minister, Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man said the Basel Convention required the entry of plastic waste to obtain permission from importing countries.

The 1989 Basel Convention, is an international treaty that was designed to reduce the movements of hazardous waste between nations, and specifically to prevent the transfer of hazardous waste from developed to less developed countries.

Tuan Ibrahim said the ministry is expecting the container to arrive today.

"We need to know whether there are scheduled wastes or chemical, but whatever it is, we will send them back.

"We will also inform the competent authority, that is the United States, about plastic waste import.

"Once the container arrives in Port Klang, we will conduct checks physically as well as its documents," he told reporters after attending state-level World Water Day at Casuarina Hotel here, today.

He said the ministry has alerted the Port Klang Authority (LPK) on the arrival of the container so that the ship would not be allowed to depart from the port.