By Sofia Nasir
SHAH ALAM, Dec 6 — The Selangor government has not ruled out the possibility of revising the policy on the use of plastic bags next year, says state executive councillor for environment Hee Loy Sian.
He said the proposal was made due to the high level of plastic bag usage despite the 20 sen charge imposed on users.
“In 2020, plastic bag fee collection was RM6.5 million, while in 2021 we obtained RM8.5 million.
“This year until June, we have already collected RM4.8 million. We expect it to reach up to RM9 million by the end of the year,” he said at the Selangor State Legislative Assembly sitting, here today.
Hee was answering a supplementary query from Bukit Lanjan state assemblyman Elizabeth Wong who wanted to know if the enforcement of the policy on the use of plastic items was being followed.
He also acknowledged that the state government is facing problems in enforcing the use of plastic bags and polystyrene containers, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic.
However, he said, starting next year, the state government will tighten the enforcement on the use of such goods.
“We have given three years. Next year, we will continue the enforcement and may revoke licenses if they (traders) do not comply,” he said.
Selangor started banning the use of plastic bags on Saturdays in 2009. It was followed by a total ban on the use of polystyrene and disposable plastic bags from January 1, 2017.
