In this May 28, 2019, file photo, a Malaysian official inspects a container filled with plastic waste shipment prior to sending it to the Westport in Port Klang. - AP
PETALING JAYA: The Canadian Government is working with the Malaysian authorities to address any issues related to the shipment of waste from the North American country, says its High Commission here.
It said that news reports of Canada not taking back plastic waste in Malaysia was taken out of context.
"Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) was responding to a question from media as to whether a ship currently coming from the Philippines would pick up waste in Malaysia while on its way to Canada.
ECCC's answer was that there were no plans for that ship to stop in Malaysia. Taken out of this context, the statement made in the article in question was not factual," the High Commission said in a statement posted on its Facebook page on Sunday (June 16).
"The Government of Canada is working with Malaysian authorities to address any issues related to the shipment of waste from Canada to Malaysia," it added.
A spokesman for Canada's environment ministry Gabrielle Lamontagne was last week quoted as saying that, "there are no plans for the Canadian government to pick up waste in Malaysia."
He added that Canada received no information about any shipment of waste from Canada to Malaysia, and said the ministry has reached out to the Malaysian government for details.
In May, the Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change Ministry (Mestecc) said that the government would be sending back 450 metric tonnes of contaminated plastic waste in 10 containers back to their countries of origin immediately, including Canada.
The waste smuggled in was falsely declared as recyclable.
The Canadian government reached a deal last month with the Philippines to take back household waste found in the country by late June, with the South- East Asian country recalling its diplomats in Canada over the issue before the deal.
