NEA aware that construction waste allegedly from Singapore disposed of in Pontian

JOHOR BAHRU – Singapore is aware of news stories that construction and demolition waste reportedly originating from Singapore was disposed of in Pontian, Johor.In response to queries from The Straits Times, Singapore’s National Environment Agency (NEA) said it had reached out to Malaysian authorities to establish the facts.This follows a news report by Malaysian media outlet Kosmo on Aug 8, which stated that construction waste allegedly from Singapore was being transported and disposed of at several sites in the district.“Under Singapore’s regulatory framework, the export of construction and demolition (C&D) waste that is hazardous for disposal is not permitted,” NEA said.“However, homogeneous material streams recovered from C&D waste – such as ferrous scrap and hardcore concrete, tiles and bricks – are permitted for export under the Basel Convention.”According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the Basel Convention is an international treaty that sets rules for the movement of hazardous and other waste across borders.UNEP says the treaty “obliges its parties to ensure that such wastes are managed and disposed of in an environmentally sound manner”.Singapore joined the Basel Convention in 1996 and enacted laws in 1998 to regulate the export, import and transit of hazardous waste.Any person seeking to export, import or transit such waste must obtain a permit from NEA’s Chemical Control and Management Department.Malaysia became a party to the convention in 1993 and prohibits the import of hazardous waste for recovery or final disposal, according to the Department of Environment website.Residents of some villages in Pontian told The Straits Times on Aug 13 that convoys of trucks would rumble through narrow gravel roads after midnight, dumping construction scrap that Johor officials believe is from Singapore.In response to the Kosmo report, Johor state authorities shut down more than five sites in Pontian believed to have been used for illegal dumping operations.The state government also set up a task force and launched an investigation into three sites allegedly involved in the illegal use of construction waste for land reclamation work and dumping at an unlicensed site.Sign up for our weekly Asian Insider Malaysia Edition newsletter to make sense of the big stories in Malaysia.