PUTRAJAYA: The government still faces a number of challenges in achieving its goal of banning single-use plastic for retail purposes, says Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad.
The Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change Minister said they include differences in development level and needs from one area to another, which is why enforcing the ban was currently under the jurisdiction of local authorities.
"For now, we allow implementation and enforcement to be handled by local councils as we understand that there are different levels of development, needs and even businesses.
"However, we do plan to eventually implement stricter enforcement nationwide once we feel the time is right," he told reporters after hosting a biodiversity dialogue at Wisma Sumber Asli here on Wednesday (May 24).
Nik Nazmi said his ministry was also looking into alternative solutions for phasing out single-use non-degradable plastic.
"While our policy discouraging single-use plastics still stands, we understand that some sectors may still need it, which is where biodegradable plastics can come into play.
"We are reviewing technologies in which the resin compound binding the plastic can be timed to degrade into environmentally-friendly materials within one to two years," he said.
However, Nik Nazmi said the government would adopt a cautious approach to any possible initiatives promoting or developing the growth of the biodegradable plastic industry.
"This is because studies have shown that despite the claims by some manufacturers that their plastics were biodegradable, most ended up still leaving behind microplastics that lasted for many years.
"As such, while we do want to make biodegradable plastics more available and affordable, it would defeat our whole purpose if we carelessly push to increase (usage of) biodegradable plastics without proper review and research," he said.
