Malaysia's government has set a goal of banning the use of plastic bags in retail business across the country by 2025.
VNA reporter in Kuala Lumpur quoted Resource, Environment and Climate Change Minister Berhormat Nik Nazmi bin Nik Ahmad as saying that the Malaysian government is aiming to ban the use of plastic bags in retail business across the country by 2025.
At the launch ceremony of the "Use Reusable Bags and Do Not Use Plastic Bags" campaign on May 9, Nik Ahmad shared that the "no use of plastic bags" campaign was deployed in phases, starting at fixed business locations such as supermarkets and designated stores, and will then be extended to all stores across the country by 2025.
The initiative is a long-term plan, actively involved by the governments of states such as Selangor, Penang, Johor and Negri Sembilan, to address the environmental pollution caused by the custom of Malaysians using single-use plastic bags.
The purpose of the campaign is not only to punish those who violate the law, but also to encourage people to stop using plastic bags. According to Nik Ahmad, the ban on plastic bags is currently only in a few places, such as supermarkets, small markets and grocery stores, but the scope will soon be expanded to include small street stalls.
Details of the operation will soon be released by the Malaysian government. Malaysia will give decision-making power to the state authorities to make the deployment process more flexible.
According to the International Organization for Conservation of Nature (WWF), Malaysia has used 148,000 tons of plastic to pack food, and according to Nik Ahmad, this is not something to be proud of. A 2020 WWF report identified Malaysia as one of the most ocean-polluting countries in Asia, with a plastic packaging consumption of around 16.8 kilograms per person.
Waste in Malaysia is usually synthetic waste and is often buried under the sand. With natural conditions in Malaysia, some of this waste can be drained into rivers and seas.
According to the WWF expert, Malaysia should also conduct awareness-raising campaigns in creating a waste classification habit, contributing to improving the efficiency of waste recycling.
