Zuraida: Ministry yet to approve plastic waste AP

Zuraida Kamaruddin said tha the regulations under the National Affordable Housing Policy was being fine-tuned to allow target groups to purchase homes at reasonable prices.

SUNGAI PETANI (Bernama): The Housing and Local Government Ministry has not approved any plastic waste approved permit (AP) since it was frozen in July last year.

Its Minister Zuraida Kamaruddin (pic) said even though the ministry had set a three-month moratorium on issuing plastic waste AP, it has yet to issue any approval to date to ensure the new procedures set by the ministry would be complied by the industry.

“Before this, there were 114 companies holding plastic waste AP but only 54 were active and from the total, only eight really complied with the conditions stipulated. Now all of them have to reapply for the import licence according to the new procedures and conditions.    

“After the AP application was reopened, only 19 companies applied and the ministry will study whether the 19 companies are eligible to be issued plastic waste AP,” she said after a raid on an illegal factory alleging to be recycling plastic waste in Sungai Petani Industrial Area here Saturday (Jan 5) night.

She called on all illegal plastic waste recycling factories to stop operations until they obtained their licence.

In July last year, the ministry announced the freezing of plastic waste AP following serious incidents of pollution in Kuala Langat, Selangor from illegal factories processing imported plastic waste. - Bernama