Ships back plastic waste to countries of origin
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Jan 20, 2020 – Malaysia ships back 150 containers to 13 countries in 2019, and estimates shipping back another 110 containers by the middle of this year.
According to Environment Minister Yeo Bee Yin, a total of 3,737 metric tonnes of waste has been repatriated.
Of the 150, 43 were returned to France, 42 to the United Kingdom, 17 to the United States, 11 to Canada, 10 to Spain and the rest to Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, Portugal, China, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Lithuania.
In response, Greenpeace Malaysia Campaigner Heng Kiah Chun said the following on the Malaysian government’s decision to send imported plastic waste back to their countries of origin.
“We recognise the Malaysian government’s positive action on tackling the plastic waste export crisis, which includes calling out and penalising those responsible for this waste being dumped in Southeast Asia.
“But this issue needs to be addressed at the source. To truly tackle this global crisis, multinationals need prioritise the reduction of single-use plastic production so that countries like Malaysia do not end up at the receiving end in the first place.
“That can only happen if they invest in alternative solutions such as reuse and refill systems to distribute their products, with clear and ambitious targets.
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CONTACT:
Yvonne Nathan, Digital and Media Campaigner, Greenpeace Malaysia, Email: [email protected]