It remains unclaimed by the importers, the Customs Department said today.
The 7,420 tonnes figure is derived from the maximum payload of 28 tonnes that each of the 40-foot containers can carry.
This effectively beats the 3,000 tonnes of plastic waste from 60 containers found in Westport, Port Klang, Selangor, which were recently ordered to be shipped back to their ports of origin by the government.
At the Butterworth port, the Customs Department said the exporters of such plastic waste had a similar modus operandi.
The plastic waste would be arranged towards the back of the container, while the goods and recyclable plastic would be placed in front.
However, these plastic importers’ trick was uncovered when officers noticed a strong stench from the containers, Penang Environment Committee chairman Phee Boon Poh said at a joint press conference with Penang Customs director Saidi Ismail at Kampung Kastam here today.
“We are giving a strong warning to all importers in Penang. You are no long welcome to import plastic waste. You will face the music if you do,” he said.
Saidi said these 265 containers had arrived at the North Butterworth Container Terminal at the Butterworth port since January, with most of them falsely declared as scrap. The contents of 116 containers were not declared at all.
Saidi said of the 265 containers, 158 are being investigated. The importing companies of 130 containers have been issued a RM1,000 compound fine for each container.
He said 11 companies were now being investigated.
More than half of the waste was from Canada, while the rest came from the United States, Belgium, Germany, Hong Kong and Japan.
“We will await instructions from the ministry if we are to send this back to their countries of origin,” he said.
Later, Saidi gave a peek into 11 containers placed at the detention yard, which have yet to be claimed by the companies for fear of the repercussions from the authorities.
He said the cost of keeping these containers could easily cost port authorities more than RM3 million.
FMT has contacted port operator Penang Port Sdn Bhd for comment.
Many of these containers containing plastic are rusting.
Among the plastic found were bottle wrappers for Lactel, a famous milk brand in France, and Eau de Source de Montagne mineral water, also from the same company.
Another container had packaging for industrial grade adhesives by French company Henkel.
On Tuesday, Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change Minister Yeo Yee Bin said the government would be sending back 450 tonnes of plastic waste to 10 countries.
Five containers filled with plastic waste have already been sent back to Spain.
The problem of plastic waste began when China banned imports of plastic in 2017. This plastic then found its way to Southeast Asian countries.
Chinese companies have taken up stakes in recycling factories in Malaysia, with an environmental group in Sungai Petani claiming they have snapped up a few in Kedah as well.
Reports show that the country’s plastic waste imports rose to 456,000 tonnes between January and July 2018, compared with 316,600 tonnes in 2017 and 168,500 tonnes in 2016.
Malaysia has been the largest recipient of US plastic waste, registering 195,444 tonnes of plastic waste between January and July 2018, which was more than the 97,544 tonnes recorded in 2017.