KUALA NERUS: A policy to tackle pollution at sea is in the works, says Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, following global predictions that plastic waste in oceans will overwhelm sea life in less than 30 years.
The Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister said the policy could involve more stringent laws to reduce single-use plastics since current measures appear to be inadequate.
These current initiatives include the Roadmap to Zero Single-Use Plastics 2018-2030 and Plastics Sustainability Roadmap 2021-2030, he said, Bernama reported.
The government has installed log booms at river estuaries, but such measures have not stemmed the tide of plastic waste to the sea because the public continues to treat the country’s rivers and streams as rubbish bins, said Nik Nazmi.
These waterways are also frequent dump sites for cleaning contractors who take shortcuts, he said.
“We try to gather as much as possible, but there are limits. Also, they require periodic maintenance to ensure that they are cleaned. Otherwise, flood issues and other problems could occur,” he said at Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT) here yesterday.
“We’re considering a suitable policy... besides looking at the possibility of introducing legislation at the national level to help reduce the use of single-use plastics and move towards zero plastic,” he said after attending the Environmental Sustainability Tour.
UMT is the first leg of the tour, which is organised by his ministry in cooperation with the Sultan Mizan Antarctic Research Foundation. It is aimed at getting youth involved in environmental sustainability issues.
UMT is also launching its Sustainable Oceans Alliance Malaysia initiative, which aims to nurture and empower Malaysian youth leaders to advocate for waste-free oceans.
