120 containers of plastic scrap seized at Malaysia port

Customs department says importers without approved permit have abandoned containers at port.


The Malaysian customs department in Port Klang in that nation has reportedly seized some 120 containers bearing what has been deemed illegally imported plastic scrap. The department will not release containers without an approved permit, according to an article by New Straits Times, which is based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

“If it is plastic waste, there is no way they will get the approved permit. We have issued a strict order to shipping agents not to unload plastic waste cargo,” Subromaniam Tholasy, deputy director general of customs, enforcement and compliance, told the newspaper. “Anybody who is found to have wrongly declared the cargo, for instance, if they bring in plastic waste and they declare it as ‘good plastic’ like polymers and resins, will have the forwarding agent license revoked immediately. Those are the harsh steps we have taken to control the situation.”

The government of Malaysia only allows clean plastic scrap with an approved permit through its ports now but may move to issue a complete ban on plastic scrap imports within three years. The containers stockpiled at the Penang Port by importers who either never declared them or falsely declared them as recyclables also are causing problems for the department at that port because there is “no space” to store them, according to the article.

Tholasy said the department will ensure no non-approved plastic scrap will enter the country. “We want to make sure that Malaysia is not being used as a dumping ground,” he stated.

The 120 containers have been seized by authorities. Investigations on at least 16 containers are currently open, according to the New Straits Times.