Christina Liew
KOTA KINABALU: It is announced that the Sabah Government, through the Sabah Environment Protection Department Sabah (EPD), will take over the management of Scheduled Waste from the Federal Department of Environment (DoE), effective January 2026, said Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Christina Liew.
She said this move is in line with the devolution of power by the Federal Government to the Sabah Government under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), with regard to the environment.
“This matter was agreed upon during the Sabah Cabinet meeting on August 21, 2024, chaired by Chief Minister Datuk Seri Haji Hajiji Haji Noor.
“Environment autonomy will be implemented in phases, starting with the management of Scheduled Waste,” Liew said in a statement today.
In this regard, she said several actions have already been initiated by the EPD.
“These include amending the Environment Protection Enactment 2002 and drafting subsidiary legislation related to Scheduled Waste; preparing a Scheduled Waste management plan for Sabah; developing an online Scheduled Waste monitoring system; and enhancing the capacity of the EPD with full support from the DoE,” explained Liew.
Scheduled waste is any waste that has hazardous characteristics that have the potential to negatively impact the public and the environment.
There are about 77 types of scheduled waste. Typical examples are used motor oil, electronic waste, oil sludge, clinical waste and the like.
