EPR scheme crucial for environmental protection in Malaysia - WWF

KUALA LUMPUR, July 22 (Bernama) -- It is crucial to introduce the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme in Malaysia to give significant responsibility to producers for the treatment or disposal of post-consumer products as part of an environmental protection framework, says World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Malaysia manager of circular economy for plastics, Tahirah Mohamed.

She said the EPR scheme is important due to the increase in population and waste, as well as the changes in the way people consume products and products being packaged. 

"We are relying on more packaged goods in our daily life, so this is also burdening our waste management or waste management ecosystem as we go along.

“This is going to increase the cost of managing waste and if this keeps on going, we will run out of landfill spaces," she told the Regtalk EPR: The Foundation of a Circular Economy Forum organised by Futurise and Eurocham Malaysia, yesterday.

Meanwhile, Lisap Asia Pacific Sdn Bhd general manager Michele Martin said relying on funding from public budgets or voluntary contributions is not sufficient, hence the scheme is much needed in Malaysia to ensure systematic and sustainable waste management.

“In Europe, one of the key drivers when the legislation came in or even before the legislation came in, the EU engaged with the associations like the plastic associations.

“It is not that easy and we cannot just copy and paste the European model but of course, if you let the parties discuss and if there are some major players that are directly involved in these issues, let’s take them to the table,” he said.

According to Martin, the EPR scheme is being implemented in the majority of European Union (EU) countries, Japan, South Korea, and some North American countries while South Africa, Kenya, and, Vietnam are in the early stages of setting up the scheme.

-- BERNAMA