KUALA LUMPUR – All state governments have agreed to implement a pollution charge on plastic bags used with a minimum value of 20 sen for each through the “No Plastic Bag Campaign”, which has already been carried out in Penang, Selangor, and Johor.
Environment and Water Minister Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man said in a statement yesterday that his ministry had obtained the mandate from the 76th national council meeting for local governments to impose the pollution charge.
He said an agreement to continue the implementation of the campaign had been reached in the Meeting of Environment Ministers and Members of the State Executive Council Responsible for the Environment (Mexcoe), which he chaired yesterday.
“Several other states are planning to start implementing this campaign along with the collection of the charge, starting with the initial phase of consumer awareness.
“This initiative, which has been implemented since 2021, is effective in reducing plastic pollution in Malaysia. I hope this initiative will continue to be supported by all parties for the sake of environmental sustainability, which is our shared responsibility,” he said in a statement today.
Tuan Ibrahim said the meeting also agreed on strengthening cooperation between the federal and state governments to ensure that development activities can be balanced with the need to preserve the environment.
The meeting also decided that the national-level National Environment Day celebration this year would be held on October 21 in Pahang.
Meanwhile, Tuan Ibrahim said Mexcoe would be strengthened with the reorganisation of its members as well as the addition of new ones, especially from the Sabah and Sarawak governments. – Bernama, May 18, 2022
