No exclusive rights granted to handle scheduled wastes - DOE

The Department of Environment (DOE) has not granted the exclusive rights to any 'Prescribed Premises Scheduled Wastes' (PYDT BT) to handle scheduled wastes in the country.

Its director-general Norlin Jaafar said so far, DOE had licensed Scheduled Wastes Treatment and Disposal Facilities nationwide involving 406 facilities (PYDT BT) and 343 carriers.

"This is to ensure that the scheduled waste management is effective and meets the requirements of the Environmental Quality Act 1974.

"All industries that produce scheduled wastes must manage them properly in terms of notification, characteristic, storage, labelling, inventory and movement information," she said in a statement today.

Norlin said the waste management should be recorded in the Electronic Scheduled Waste Information System in line with the requirements of the Environmental Quality (Scheduled Wastes) Regulations 2005.

Yesterday, news went viral on social media claiming that several companies have been given the exclusive rights to collect scheduled wastes and that these companies imposed high fees on the premises requiring the service.

Norlin also stressed that the DOE has no part in fixing the price and any costs imposed on the owners of the premises had been set by PYDT BT which had been given the licence.

She said the exclusive rights given by the government had been to Kualiti Alam Sdn Bhd to operate the ‘Centralised Integrated Scheduled Waste Management Centre which was for 15 years starting from March 1, 2000 up to Feb 28, 2015.

The government is planning to build five integrated waste management facilities in Johor, Perak, Terengganu, Sabah and Penang to ensure better and more efficient management of scheduled wastes, she added.

-- BERNAMA