PUTRAJAYA, Aug 16 (Bernama) — The Housing and Local Government Ministry (KPKT) plans to use new instruments for solid waste management by placing the responsibility of managing post-consumer products on producers or Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR).
KPKT secretary-general Datuk M Noor Azman Taib said EPR represents one of the important elements in driving the implementation of the circular economy, especially for solid waste management since a well-designed EPR system will improve the recycling value chain and domestic recycling industry.
“The implementation of EPR will be a method for the government to deal with the environmental pressure caused by post-consumer products and reduce the government’s burden for the financial needs of waste management,” he said in a statement today.
The statement said Noor Azman witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between KPKT and the Malaysian Recycling Alliance Bhd (MAREA) which is aimed at implementing an EPR pilot project in Langkawi.
Among those involved in the project are the Solid Waste Management and Public Cleaning Corporation (SWCorp), the collection and cleaning service concession company E-Idaman, the Langkawi Municipal Council Tourism City, the Langkawi Development Authority (LADA), Collaborative Actions for Single-Use Plastic Prevention in South-East Asia (CAP SEA), recycling manufacturers and local residents.
MAREA was established with the aim of finding a solution to the problem of post-consumer packaging waste in Malaysia, in addition to focusing on efforts to strengthen the value chain and improve the collection and recycling of consumer packaging waste.
Noor Azman said the study in Langkawi that started in April was important to create a more viable and sustainable implementation of EPR in Malaysia, to further assist the KPKT to create a policy and framework for the implementation of EPR in the country.
Source: BERNAMA News Agency
