Laws and Regulations

Local Regulations

In line with the laws and regulations implemented at the national level, some States and Local Governments have enacted their policies or local by-laws and implemented various initiatives in addressing the plastic issues.

Local Governments who have not adopted the Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Act 2007 (e.g., Selangor, Penang), have their own decision-making power as Local Governments. On the other hand, States that have adopted the Act are controlled by the National Solid Waste Management Department and Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Corporation under the Ministry of Housing and Local Government.

As a State Government, for instance, Selangor has declared every Saturday a ‘No Plastic Bag Day’ since 1 January 2010, charging RM0.20 for each plastic bag provided to the consumers. The State aims to reduce the use of plastic bags and to increase consumer awareness of the negative impacts of using plastic bags (Kamaruddin and Yusuf, 2012). From 1 January 2017, Selangor has further strengthened their initiatives and have enforced plastic bag-free 7 days a week including the ban of the use of polystyrene containers, in which the violators would face a fine of up to RM1,000. The initiatives were later extended to single-use plastics ban in all government agencies and “no plastic straw” policy from 1 July 2019.

In Penang, the State Government has implemented their own state-wide “No Plastic Bag 1.0” even earlier. Penang was the first state to introduce the ‘No Free Plastic Bags’ campaign, starting on 6 July 2009, with the no-free-plastic-bag-on-Mondays ruling (Jamil and Mustakim, 2011). It was extended to 3 days a week on 1 January 2010 and every day on 1 January 2011 for hypermarkets, supermarkets, pharmacies, fast-food outlets, and convenience stores (including petrol stations) (Penang Green Council, n.d.). The collected RM0.20 charge for each plastic bag use is donated to the Hardcore Poverty Fund to assist the poor. Penang brought the initiative one step further with a 3-month trial of a policy in July 2019 of not providing plastic bags to shoppers on Mondays even if they are willing to pay the RM 0.20 charge (The Star, 2019). The ‘No Plastic Bag Day’ was extended to every Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday starting from October 2020. Since 1 January 2021, the charge for plastic bag from Thursdays to Saturdays was increased to RM1.00 each (Penang Green Council, n.d.).

On 1 April 2019, Kedah joined the movement by imposing a ‘No Plastic Bag Day’ every Friday and Saturday by charging a fee for plastic bags given to consumers. Plastic bags, straws, and styrofoam are also banned. Restaurants, hawkers, and convenience stores must follow the ‘no straw by default’ policy, except for vulnerable people or young children who may still need to use straws (Kwong Wah, 2019).

Future efforts should be harmonised with the action plans as targeted in Malaysia’s Roadmap Towards Zero Single-Use Plastics 2018–2030. For instance, the Roadmap cites the role of Local Governments in utilising compostable garbage bags for garden waste collection and in collecting pollution charges. Local Governments hold the key to achieving the Roadmap targets, possibly through different approaches, the success of which should be brought to the national level.