Johor dumping: NEA issues advisory to construction waste facilities, says waste cannot be exported for disposal
The National Environment Agency (NEA) said that it is working with Malaysian authorities to investigate the alleged illegal dumping of construction waste in Johor, adding that it is “not yet established” whether any Singapore companies were involved.
An allegedly illegal dumping site near Kampung Sungai Senai Belokok in Pontian, Johor. (Photo: CNA/Zamzahuri Abas)
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SINGAPORE: Singapore’s National Environment Agency (NEA) has issued an advisory to licensed general waste disposal facilities handling construction and demolition waste on the requirements governing such waste, while reiterating that it could not be exported for disposal.
The advisory came amid allegations that construction and demolition waste from Singapore had been illegally dumped in Malaysia’s Johor state.
Malaysian media outlets also reported on Tuesday (Aug 18) that Singapore had halted all exports of construction and demolition waste to Malaysia with immediate effect, citing comments from the Johor branch of Malaysian government agency Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Corporation (SWCorp).
In response to CNA’s queries on Tuesday (Aug 18) night, NEA said that it recently reached out to SWCorp Johor to obtain more information regarding construction and demolition waste reportedly originating from Singapore being disposed of in Pontian, Johor.
“During the call with SWCorp, NEA affirmed that Singapore does not allow C&D waste to be exported for disposal,” said NEA, referring to construction and demolition waste.
“Under Singapore’s regulatory framework, C&D waste must be properly processed and sorted locally for recycling.”
However, “homogenous material streams” such as ferrous scrap recovered from such waste are considered recyclables and can be exported, subject to the relevant regulatory requirements, it added.
Both Malaysia and Singapore are parties to the Basel Convention, an international treaty that regulates the transboundary movements of hazardous and other waste and obliges countries to ensure that such waste is managed and disposed of in an environmentally sound manner.
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Malaysia’s New Straits Times (NST) on Tuesday quoted Johor SWCorp director Zainal Fitri Ahmad as saying that NEA group director for resource and sustainability Chan Chin Kai had contacted him to discuss the export and disposal of construction and demolition waste from Singapore into Pontian.
During the call, Johor SWCorp had emphasised that any waste export to Malaysia must strictly comply with existing laws and obtain prior approval from relevant local enforcement agencies, NST reported.
“The NEA informed us that shipments of C&D waste from Singapore to Malaysia will be halted with immediate effect, and further reviews will be conducted on the parties involved in Singapore,” NST quoted Zainal as saying in a statement.
CNA has reached out to Johor SWCorp for comment.
NEA said on Tuesday that it was working with Malaysian authorities to investigate the alleged illegal dumping, adding that it is “not yet established” whether any Singapore companies were involved.
“NEA takes a serious view of any illegal disposal of waste, as it pollutes the environment and can be a hazard to public health,” the agency told CNA.
NINE MALAYSIA-REGISTERED FIRMS UNDER PROBE
Zainal of SWCorp Johor previously told CNA that nine Malaysia-registered companies are under investigation for allegedly transporting construction waste from Singapore and illegally dumping it at three sites near villages in Johor’s Pontian district.
He said that the authorities had gathered sufficient evidence linking the nine Malaysian-registered firms to the dumping and further action will be taken against these companies.
If charged and convicted, the companies and their representatives could be fined up to RM100,000 (US$24,600) and jailed for up to five years, he added.
The waste is believed to have been transported from Singapore via the Tuas Second Link before being discarded on at least three plots of land in Pontian, Zainal told CNA while surveying one of the sites about 25km from the Tuas immigration checkpoint last week.
The alleged illegal dumping was first reported by Malaysian news outlet Kosmo.
The Johor state government then announced that it would set up a multi-agency task force to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the allegations. The agencies would include SWCorp, the police as well as the Pontian district office.
Residents affected by the alleged dumping include those living in Kampung Parit Rambai, Kampung Sungai Dinar, Mukim Sungai Karang and Kampung Sungai Senai Belokok. The dumping occurred only metres from some homes.
Source: CNA/ia(as)
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