SEGAMAT: The manager of a waste recycling company has been jailed for one day by the Sessions Court here for the illegal handling of scheduled waste.
Johor Department of Environment (DOE) director Dr Mohd Famey Yusoff said Lee Tay Hiong, 51, pleaded guilty when the charges were read before judge Rahimah Abd Majid on Tuesday (March 31).
Lee was charged under Section 34A(6) of the Environmental Quality Act 1974 for carrying out the construction of an off-site recovery plant and off-site storage facilities for scheduled waste code SW104 without obtaining approval for an Environmental Impact Assessment report from the DOE director-general.
Lee was also charged under Section 34B(1)(a) of the same Act with placing scheduled waste code SW104 at the premises without prior approval from the director-general.
Scheduled waste code SW104 refers to materials such as dust, slag, dross or ash containing arsenic, mercury, lead, cadmium, chromium, nickel, copper, vanadium, beryllium, antimony, tellurium, thallium or selenium excluding slag from iron and steel factory.
“He committed the offence on July 16, 2024, and for that, the court sentenced him to a day’s jail.
“The company was earlier fined RM270,000 by the Sessions Court on March 9,” Mohd Famey said in a statement.
He reminded industry players and the public to comply with the Environmental Quality Act 1974 and its regulations.
“Failure to comply with the provisions will result in legal action against companies, their directors and individuals involved,” he said.
He also urged the public to report environmental pollution via the DOE’s 24-hour toll-free hotline at 1-800-88-2727, by email at aduan_k@doe.gov.my, or through the DOE’s e-aduan portal at https://eaduan.doe.gov.my.
