Illustrative image (Photo: AFP/VNA) Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability, made the statement on April 22 – the Earth Day, themed “Planet vs Plastics” this year.
He said the Malaysian Government is pursuing a national policy on the production, consumption, and disposal of plastic in line with the ongoing negotiations of the Global Plastic Treaty (GPT) aligned with environmental sustainability objectives.
The official said he has instructed a review of legislation governing plastic pollution to strengthen measures for addressing this issue.
Malaysia has participated in four rounds of international negotiations on the GPT within the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) for the development of an internationally legally binding instrument on marine plastic pollution, he continued.
He also mentioned the Government’s other efforts in this regard such as establishing the Malaysian Plastic Sustainability Roadmap (2021-2030) and the Malaysian Roadmap Towards Zero Single-Use Plastics (2018-2030).
The Malaysian ministry is set to attend the fourth INC negotiation session in Ottawa, Canada, from April 23 to 29.
This year's Earth Day theme underscores society's duty to conserve and safeguard the planet, given that plastic waste takes a minimum of 500 years to decompose naturally./.
VNA
