KUCHING: Plastic-based products are not known to decompose so it is incumbent of the public, especially in urban areas, to reduce their usage.
By doing so they would be enhancing environmental stewardship, said Utility and Telecommunication Deputy Minister, Datuk Dr Abdul Rahman Junaidi.
“Therefore, I would like to encourage all parties to enhance efforts in reducing the use of plastic-based items, as they are hard to dispose of,” he said at the closing of the Health and Environmental Sustainability Carnival at Ecomall, Petra Jaya on Sunday (Nov 24).
In this respect he called for concerted efforts to ensure the environment, particularly in the Kuching North City Council (DBKU) area, remains clean.
“Perhaps programmes or campaigns like this have been conducted by DBKU before, but they need to be further improved,” he said.
He added that cooperation from supermarket operators, retail stores, and others is also crucial to realise the set goal.
“We want these operators to promote the use of reusable bags, thus reducing the use of plastic bags or products.
“As much as possible, we try to support this initiative because it helps improve environmental cleanliness,” he said.
Abdul Rahman, who is also the Minister responsible for DBKU, emphasised that domestic waste management must be taken seriously, starting from the household level so that items that are difficult to decompose can be recycled.
He noted that DBKU has implemented the 3R programme (Reuse, Reduce, and Recycle) at several locations, with some people actively participating, while others do not take it seriously.
“Thus, I believe this effort should continue. When discarding items from the house, we should separate them first before disposal.
“Although it takes some of our time, this effort helps the relevant agencies improve environmental cleanliness,” he explained.
On the Health and Environmental Sustainability Carnival, he said it is a great programme to raise awareness on health and environmental care among the community.
“I hope the efforts of DBKU and its strategic partners to ensure cleanliness among the community, individuals, and the environment can continue to be improved in the future,” he said.
