DOE RAIDS ILLEGAL PLASTIC RECYCLING PREMISES IN SUNGAI PETANI

SUNGAI PETANI, March 31 (Bernama) -- The Kedah Department of Environment (DOE) raided a premises believed to be carrying out illegal plastic waste processing activities in the Taman Ria Jaya Industrial Area here, yesterday.

Its director, Sharifah Zakiah Syed Sahab, said the operation, which began at 8.30 am and ended at 1 pm, was carried out as a result of the enforcement agency's continuous monitoring of industrial activities that have the potential to pollute the environment.

She said the inspection found that the premises were carrying out cleaning and extrusion activities of plastic waste to produce plastic pellets, in addition to being found to be operating without an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) approval as provided for under the Environmental Quality Act 1974.

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"The premises are believed to be operating completely under cover to prevent their activities from being detected by the public," she said in a statement here, today.

According to Sharifah Zakiah, DOE imposed an Equipment Operation Detention (POK) order under Section 38(1)(a) of the act against a unit of plastic extrusion machine as well as an air pollution control system and an industrial effluent treatment system believed to be used in the production process at the premises without DOE permission.

She said further investigation also found a large amount of raw materials and finished products at the premises including 700 'jumbo bags' or about 350 metric tonnes of plastic waste which are believed to be used as raw materials in the manufacturing process.

In addition, enforcement officers also found about 258 metric tonnes of finished products, namely plastic pellets packed in 10,320 sacks with an estimated weight of 25 kilogrammes each.

"DOE also took samples of plastic waste and plastic pellets from the premises before sending them to the Department of Chemistry for laboratory analysis," she said.

The case is being investigated under Section 34A(6) of the Environmental Quality Act 1974 for carrying out solid waste recycling activities without EIA approval.

-- BERNAMA