Zuraida makes surprise visit to illegal plastic factories, vows action
The Star Online (25/09/2018) - KUALA LANGAT: Housing and Local Government Minister Zuraida Kamaruddin shook up several illegal plastic recycling factories and waste dumping sites here when she went on a surprise visit at these premises and promised to take action.
Zuraida turned up unannounced to witness the goings-on at these places, following a meeting with various agencies over the issue of local factories here importing and recycling plastic waste from countries like New Zealand, Australia and the United Kingdom, after China banned plastic imports.
"The immediate action that I requested following the visit was for the Kuala Langat District Council (MDKL) to file a police report to request more information on the land owners, tenants and the logs of the lorries hired to ferry waste to and from the sites.
"We will also give these factories and sites reasonable time to dispose of the waste at the proper designated place once and for all.
"They must clean up, failing which we will take action against the factory owners or the land owners, like blacklisting them," Zuraida told reporters after visiting an illegal plastic processing factory here on
Also with her on her rounds were officers from MDKL, the Environment Department, and NGO Persatuan Tindakan Alam Sekitar Kuala Langat.
She added that the authorities would get to the root of the issue and check if the illegal factories were actually taking imported plastic from licensed factories.
Earlier at the meeting, Zuraida said in Kuala Langat alone, there were 24 illegal plastic recycling factories here, while only 13 had valid licences.
Meanwhile, there are 114 legal plastic processing factories that are active all over the nation.
Illegal plastic recycling factories and waste dumping sites in Kuala Langat are hidden inside palm oil plantations, where there are ample access to land for burying waste and water bodies in which to dump contaminants.
The sites are surrounded by tall piles of plastic waste, while the smell of chemicals permeated the air.