INTERVIEW | Plastic waste disposal is one of the most persistent environment issues dogging Malaysia.

Activists charge that whether it’s locally generated or imported, a significant amount of plastic waste in Malaysia is dealt with by unlicensed operators who often do not have a proper waste processing facility.

The waste is randomly dumped, burned or buried in a landfill. This results in air, land and water pollution, as well as related health problems for communities that live near the sites.

It is a challenge that comes under the portfolio of state executive councillors in charge of local government. Ng Sze Han is Selangor for Local Government, Public Transport and New Village Development councillor, and he concedes that it’s an ongoing problem.

Nonetheless, he told Malaysiakini in an exclusive interview that he believes his office had acted to close down a majority of the illegal plastic factories.

“I took over this office two years ago...