Ong: Producers will have to recycle their bottles and cans

By NG SI HOOI
PETALING JAYA: Producers and manufacturers will soon have to take back their packaging materials such as aluminium cans and bottles for recycling or disposal.
“This will stop people from simply throwing them into garbage bins and the material sent to landfills,” said Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting.
He said the onus would be on producers and manufacturers to dispose of such packaging material once the Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Bill, 2007 is gazetted.
“We will work out a mechanism on how to carry out the take-back rules after the laws are fully implemented,” he told a press conference after opening the waste management conference and exhibition 2007 at Sunway Pyramid Convention Centre here yesterday.
Section 102 of the Bill states that the minister may, by an order published in the Gazette, establish a take-back system.
It requires that specified products or goods after use shall be taken back by the manufacturer, assembler, importer or dealer and that the manufacturer, assembler, importer or dealer shall be obliged, on their own account and cost, to recycle or dispose any products or goods taken back in a specified manner, the Bill stated.
The Bill also states that the minister may establish a deposit refund system and determine the specified products or goods, the deposit refund amount, the labelling of the products or goods and the obligations of the dealers of the products or goods.
Anyone found guilty of going against the law will be fined not more than RM10,000 or jailed not more than six months or both.
The Bill was passed in Parliament last month.
Ong said many developed countries had adopted product take-back rules.
“This is an effective way to reduce waste.”
He also reminded the public that although it was not compulsory, recycling, reducing and reusing waste was important.
The move to implement a product take-back system was well received by most groups, with canned drink producers saying that they already have the proper mechanism in place.
However, the Malaysian Plastic Manufacturers Association was worried that the move would inflate the cost of plastic goods with consumers having to bear the cost increase.
Global Environment Centre director Faizal Parish said the take-back policy had worked well in other countries.
“However, this system should also cover electronic waste such as batteries, computers and mobile phones.”
Fomca adviser Prof Datuk Dr Hamdan Adnan welcomed the move and applauded Ong for making it mandatory for manufacturers and producers to take back “their own rubbish.”
Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers northern branch chairman Datuk O.K. Lee said the organisation would look into the matter.
Carlsberg brand manager Raffiq Ariff said the company recycled its glass bottles with its wholesalers picking up empty bottles from retailers.
“However, the worry is that the public does not recycle glass bottles or cans at home,” he said.