ESG Enforcement Tracker

Key facts:

Kuala Selangor Sessions Court fined a company engaged in plastic scrap recycling activities RM65,000 for three offences under the Environmental Quality Act 1974 and Environmental Quality (Clean Air) Regulations 2014, after a factory manager, who represented the company as the accused person, pleaded guilty.  The Judge also sentenced the manager to 26 months in prison, should the fine go unpaid.

This followed an investigation following public complaints regarding the factory’s premises, which involved the Kuala Selangor Municipal Council and the Sabak Bernam branch of the Selangor Department of Environment.  The investigations had found evidence of plastic scrap recycling activities at the premises including plastic scrap heaps, shredder machines and pelletiser machines, without written notification or being properly equipped with an air pollution control system as required under the Environmental Quality (Clean Air) Regulations 2014.

The Director of Selangor’s Department of Environment, Mr Yadzid, confirmed that the Department’s Prosecuting Officer had asked the court to “impose a fitting sentence to serve as a lesson to companies to respect the law and national sovereignty by conducting their activities according to the country’s legal requirements”, and added that the Department “also advises companies to be more responsible and not to undermine environmental sustainability in pursuit of profit”.