KLANG PORT (May 19): The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability (NRES) will intensify port controls, particularly at Port Klang, to block the entry of illegal waste.

Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad said the ministry takes a serious view of any attempt to use Malaysia as a gateway for importing or dumping illegal waste.

He said the Department of Environment (DOE), in collaboration with the Royal Malaysian Customs Department, will continue to carry out enforcement activities.

“The ministry will not compromise with any party attempting to turn this country into a dumping ground for waste,” he said.

“All importers are reminded to fully comply with all regulatory requirements. Any violations will be met with the strictest legal action,” he told reporters after inspecting containers suspected of containing illegal waste at North Port, here on Monday.

Nik Nazmi said that since March 14, the Selangor branch of the Customs Department has detained 354 containers suspected of carrying e-waste (electronic waste) and plastic waste that entered Malaysia via Port Klang, particularly North Port.

“The inspections followed information received from a non-governmental organisation based in the United States, regarding the arrival of containers from there,” he said.

He added that multiple enforcement and technical agencies, including the DOE, National Solid Waste Management Department, Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Corporation and SIRIM Bhd, will continue inspecting the remaining unopened containers.

Meanwhile, he noted that between Jan 1 and May 13, the DOE inspected 179 containers suspected of carrying e-waste, of which 122, or 68%, were confirmed to contain such waste.

“Further investigations revealed that the importers had made false declarations. As a result, 119 directives were issued to these companies under Sections 31 and 37 of the Environmental Quality Act 1974, requiring the containers to be returned to their country of origin,” he said.

In a separate development, Nik Nazmi called on state governments to allow rare earth element (REE) mining, provided it adheres strictly to the stipulated conditions and standard operating procedures, to ensure a stable feedstock supply.

He stressed that the federal government is not sidelining any state in this effort, as the national goal is not only to become a hub for REE mining, but also to generate added value through downstream activities, such as resource processing.

He was commenting on the milestone achieved by Lynas Rare Earths Malaysia, which recently commenced production of separated heavy rare earth elements.

According to earlier reports, Lynas began production at its Gebeng facility, making it the only commercial producer of such materials outside China.

In a statement last week, Lynas announced that it had successfully produced dysprosium oxide through its new production line, which began operations earlier this year, while the production of terbium is expected to begin next month.

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