Malaysia has recently sent back 150 containers of plastic waste to more than a dozen countries since the end of last year. Including 42 back to the UK. Malaysia saw an increase since China stopped the import of plastic waste from other countries in 2018.
When I recycle my waste at home and separate it into plastic, tin, cardboard, and bottles, etc., I never thought, once collected from my home, it would be on its way to Malaysia. I am astonished that in the UK we don’t have a robust system of our own preventing the export of our refuse/plastic from being sent abroad. It does seem this job is largely left to the local authorities. It is unlikely the UK will achieve its European target of 50%. By the next two years.
The recycling and plastic being sent from Western Nations to the far east have been on the increase. There seems to be a lack of good solutions for these countries to manage their wastes.
Malaysia has cracked down on 200 illegal recycling compounds and has sent back over 150 containers amounting to 3737 metric tones of plastic waste from all over the world. Predominantly from wealthy western nations.
- 43 sent back to France,
- 42 sent back to the UK
- 17 sent back to the USA
- 10 sent back to Spain
- 11 sent back to Canada
And there are nine more waiting to be sent back to the UK.
After China announced in 2017 that it was going to stop accepting plastic from other countries and then following through in 2018, Malaysia was one of those countries that took the brunt of the plastic waste.
The UK will have to figure out it wants to do with its waste, as clearly Malaysia will not accept any more plastic from anywhere in the world.
The Environment Person, Malaysia’s Environment Minister Yeo Bee Yin. said We would not be the rubbish dump of the world.
In 2017, It was understood that the Department of Energy would launch a public awareness campaign in the coming weeks to encourage waste segregation, I wonder what happened to that?