ESG Enforcement Tracker

Key facts:

Kuala Selangor Sessions Court fined a scrap-metal and e-waste processing factory RM256,000 (approximately US$60,000) for offences under the Environmental Quality Act 1974 and Environmental Quality (Clean Air) Regulations 2014, after the company’s director, who represented the firm as the accused, pleaded guilty to six charges.

The Director of DOE, Mr Yadzid, confirmed in a statement that the court had ordered the company to face over three years’ imprisonment if the fine was not paid. The DOE had urged the court to impose the sentence as a deterrent and to ensure companies uphold environmental laws and safeguard ecological integrity, and the sentence took the public interest into account.

This followed investigations by the authorities, which uncovered the company’s involvement in metal recovery activities, having found around 126 pallets of materials containing printed circuit boards, an operational furnace, and four furnaces still under construction, as well as a chimney structure not equipped with air pollution control systems. Improper waste processing can lead to the release of heavy metals which can contaminate soil, water and air, causing pollution that has been linked to serious health concerns.

Mr Yadzid reminded industrial operators to strictly comply with the Environmental Quality Act 1974 and its regulations, and warned that non-compliance may lead to prosecution and conviction.