Kuala Langat, Malaysia

Waste processing factories use mixed waste - including plastic - polluting the air and waterways, with indiscriminate plastic waste dumping in the region.

Downstream Location

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Overview

Jenjarom, Kuala Langat, Malaysia

The existence of a chain of big waste-processing companies near people’s houses and a school in Jenjarom, Kuala Langat confers significant discomfort. Residents report bad smells from the smoke of the factories, as well as bad health symptoms.

Through field investigations, it has come to light that these factories do not fully comply with the Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA); insider information also corroborated that co-incineration of plastic wastes (mixed wastes) take place in at least one of these facilities.

The issue of indiscriminate plastic waste dumping, and the subsequent lack of remediation efforts by relevant authorities has been a problem in the area; the most recent site we found has lots of foreign waste. No agreement or communication prior to dumping ever takes place between the residents and those parties.

Downstream Community Stories

Waste Processing

Pua Lay Peng

Activist and resident

Pua Lay Peng points to the Kuala Langat waste-management factory and its infamous smoke.The Best Eternity Recycle Technology (Limited) factory processes mixed waste, polluting the air and water and contributing to the movement of plastic wastes and dumping in the area.

Monitoring, with smoke rising from the Kuala Langat BERT factory.

Pua Lay Peng

Activist and resident

Pua Lay Peng describes how the BERT factory has been processing the plastic/mixed waste for co-incineration Their specifications are not in compliance with the EIA report submitted to the Department of Environment.

Mustafa and Nuriati

Taman Bakti Sg. Manggis, Kuala Langat residents

A Malay couple live close to the BERT factory. They speak of disturbing smells and fear health issues.

A new ND paper factory is under construction in Kuala Langat . Residents fear greater waste pollution issues with this new development.

Illegal Dumping

Pua Lay Peng

Activist and resident

Pua Lay Peng finds plastic waste in a construction site surrounded by an oil palm plantation, in Telok Panglima Garang. A dumped item has a Wallmart tag on it.

Pua Lay Peng

Activist and resident

Pua Lay Peng explores the Kuala Langat Telok Panglima Garang illegal dumpsite, which contains evidence of legacy plastic wastes from foreign countries.

Pua Lay Peng

Activist and resident

Pua Lay Peng explores the Kuala Langat Telok Panglima Illegal dumpsite, finding waste from Australia and France.

Mixed waste burns in the illegal dumpsite in Kuala Langat Telok Panglima, in 2022.

Emily Tan

Klang resident

Emily Tan speaks of the smell coming from the mixed waste, illegally dumped in Klang Bukit Kapar.

Trees are dying, at the Klang Bukit Kapar Waste dumpsite.

E-waste is dumped on the side of the road in Klang.

A resident finds waste dumped in her backyard, and does not know what kind of waste it is.

Residents explore an illegal dumpsite in Palau Indah, where foreign plastic waste has been dumped. There is evidence of the waste having been burnt after an investigators’ visit.

Residents sift through plastic waste. A sachet manufactured by Nestlé is found.

Moving Waste

Resident Cliff Wong drives by apparently illegal plastic waste processing facilities.

Residents drive by an unmarked dumpsite, with plastic wastes left out in the sun.

Cliff Wong says that some of the trucks he followed moved waste around from one facility to another, which is a sign of illegal dumping.

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Shot on location with the help of the Malaysia Stop Waste Trade Coalition.

Access to inside the factories are not permitted. The factories do not respond to emails for a tour of their facility and workers are not willing to speak to interviewers.