Environment minister Melissa Price has confirmed receiving a letter from her Malaysian counterpart requesting collaboration on the removal of low-level radioactive waste produced by Lynas Corporation.

Ms Price’s office said on Tuesday that it was premature to comment further until the request had been properly considered.

Malaysia wants Australia to accept 450,000 tonnes of waste created at the Lynas plant near Kuantan in the processing of rare earths from the company's Mount Weld mine in Western Australia.

A spokesman for Ms Price said Australia's Department of the Environment and Energy handled import permit applications for hazardous materials on a case-by-case basis.

Similarly, the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency handled import permit applications for radioactive material on a case-by-case basis.

It remains unclear how the Lynas waste will be classified. It is understood West Australian authorities would also have to sign off on the transport of any waste within the state, possibly all the way back out to the remote Mount Weld mine.