Cutting-edge cleaner: (From right) Ambassador of Switzerland to Malaysia Chantal Moser, Klang Mayor Datuk Abd Hamid Hussain, Nik Nazmi and (left) Marine Research Foundation executive director Dr Nicholas J. Pilcher taking a closer look at the Mobula 8 vessel’s water debris cleaning features. — CHAN TAK KONG/The Star
KLANG: With each person indiscriminately disposing 2.4kg of plastic trash annually, Malaysia has unwittingly earned infamy by being among the worst countries at managing its plastic waste.
Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad said Malaysia was among the top five nations worldwide found to have mismanaged plastic waste.
He said findings show that 2.3 million tonnes of plastics, out of 460 million tonnes produced globally in 2019, ended up in the ocean, with most of it remaining along shorelines.
Mismanaged plastic waste is refuse that ends up in the sea after being disposed of at makeshift landfills, rivers and drainage.
“In the last two decades, the production of plastics has doubled. Although we are a relatively small country with a small economy, we are, unfortunately, one of the top five countries guilty of mismanaging plastic waste, with each Malaysian contributing 2.4kg of it annually.
“Hence, it is not about cleaning up the ocean but about how waste is managed. Such waste in large rivers also contributes to flash floods and pollution,” he said after the launch of the Mobula 8, a versatile marine vessel built to clean and clear pollutants in rivers, coastal areas and estuaries, at the Peninsular Sailing Club on Pulau Indah here yesterday.
The vessel was donated by Swiss non-governmental organisation (NGO) Seacleaners to the Marine Research Foundation, a local non-profit organisation based in Kota Kinabalu.
Nik Nazmi said that to address the issue, the government has introduced initiatives such as doing away with single-use plastic items and implementing sustainable waste management.
He said it was initially thought that plastic waste was being discharged into the sea from large rivers, but a study showed that only 18% of the waste was attributed to it while the rest was from smaller rivers.
“Plastic waste does come from our rivers and landfills, but some from overseas is also swept here and ends up on our coastlines.
“Currently, all efforts to address plastic waste management, such as the Klang River clean-up, are mainly being carried out by state governments.
“We hope they can scale up these efforts and more people will come forward to support them.
“Ultimately, we will also need to educate the Malaysian public on how to manage their waste more efficiently and decide if the plastics they use are necessary or otherwise.
“Do we really need a plastic bag to carry a can of cola, or do we need to wrap everything in plastic? Can we reuse plastic items multiple times?” he said.
Nik Nazmi added that the launch of the Mobula 8 vessel is a commitment by the government and NGOs to tackle plastic waste pollution.
The vessel will be stationed at Kota Kinabalu to complement the local council’s ongoing marine debris clean-up efforts.
“This is just for a start. One vessel is not enough. We have two other similar vessels – one operated by the Selangor government and another that was donated by (British rock band) Coldplay.
“It is unfortunate that South-East Asia has been termed ‘the garbage bin of the world’.
“However, there has been some progress with European groups that have come up with regulations prohibiting their refuse from being sent to other countries.
“This is not a problem afflicting only Malaysia. Since China implemented policies to restrict the entry of plastic waste, other countries such as the Philippines are also similarly affected,” he said.
The Investment, Trade and Industry Ministry, Nik Nazmi added, has also been urged to reduce the importation of plastic waste because Malaysia has not used up its supply of plastics.
