Selangor government will be implementing a three-pronged approach to combat plastic pollution.

State public health and environment committee chairman Jamaliah Jamaluddin said, “First, Selangor will amend local by-laws to standardise them across all 12 local councils and broaden the implementation of plastic bag-free days.

“These amendments are expected to be completed this year, with extensive enforcement beginning early next year.”

She said the second step focused on partnerships with stakeholders to expand the plastic-free campaign through awareness, recycling innovation, upcycling and offering eco-friendly alternatives.

“For the third step, education and community participation are a must to foster plastic-free living.”

Jamaliah was speaking at the Plastic-Free Campaign Series 2 held at Laman Seni Safari in Klang.

The first series was held at Pantai Bagan Lalang in Sepang on May 24.

Jamaliah called on the public to reject and stop using single-use plastics.

“Based on studies, plastics are expected to contribute 19% of global greenhouse gas emissions by 2040, thus undermining global efforts to meet the Paris Agreement climate goal of limiting the average increase in Earth’s surface temperature to 1.5ºC above pre-industrial levels.

The 3km fun walk being flagged off at Laman Seni Safari in Klang during the Plastic-Free Campaign Series 2.

“In this framework, plastic is not just rubbish, it is a direct contributor to global warming,” she stressed.

“According to statistics, one million plastic bottles are purchased worldwide every minute and five trillion plastic bags are used each year.

“Most of the plastics end up as poorly managed waste, either openly burned, dumped into oceans or abandoned in our environment,” Jamaliah pointed out.

She said it was estimated that on average, Malaysians used nine billion plastic items annually and a significant portion ended up in the ocean.

“Data from a 2021 research paper by Dutch academic Lourens JJ Meijer showed that Malaysia ranked third among the top 10 countries contributing most to ocean plastic pollution,” she added.

Klang Royal City Council president Datuk Abd Hamid Hussain said plastic waste management also placed a financial strain on the local council.

He called for a shift to eco-friendly alternatives.

The campaign was held as part of Klang’s Car-Free Day, which also featured a 3km fun walk.