IPOH – The Housing and Local Government Ministry is in talks with the Selangor and Penang governments about the adoption of the Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Act 2007.
Minister Nga Kor Ming said that if both states agreed, they would join the other seven states that have adopted the act.
“Selangor has agreed in principle, and I had an audience with the Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, who has given his consent to adopting (the legislation). We are now awaiting the decision from (the state executive council meeting) to start discussions with Selangor in detail,” he said.
He said this at a press conference after officiating the Urban Community Sustainability Programme: PPR Community Carnival @ Rumah Pangsa Jalan Hospital here today.
Nga said that so far, seven states had adopted the legislation, while five more, namely Kelantan, Terengganu, Perak, Selangor and Penang, were yet to sign the agreement.
The act aims to ensure uniformity in law for the proper control and regulation of matters relating to the management of controlled solid waste and public cleansing.
Nga said the government would continue to negotiate with states that had not yet adopted the act.
“Our door is always open. Take Perak, for example, the state with the highest number of (local authorities) in the peninsula, totaling 15. We respect the state government’s decision (not to adopt the legislation) but we always welcome it (to adopt the act) and we will continue to conduct negotiations,” he said.
Meanwhile, Nga said his ministry, through Solid Waste Management and Public Cleansing Corp, will set up 130 drive-through recycling centres nationwide through the Zero-Waste Community Programme. – March 10, 2024