{"id":62519,"date":"2025-08-13T12:54:42","date_gmt":"2025-08-13T04:54:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/malaysia\/?page_id=62519"},"modified":"2026-05-05T20:12:33","modified_gmt":"2026-05-05T12:12:33","slug":"plastic-waste-trade-2","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/malaysia\/our-work\/plastics\/plastic-waste-trade-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Plastic Waste Trade"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n
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Plastic Waste Trade<\/strong><\/h1>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Every year, tonnes of plastic waste, often mislabelled as \u201crecyclables,\u201d are shipped from wealthier nations to countries like Malaysia. In fact, since 2018, Malaysia became one of the world\u2019s top destinations for plastic waste imports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Greenpeace Malaysia began investigating this growing crisis early on and red-flagged it to the world, exposing illegal shipments, naming polluters, and supporting local communities fighting back.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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Our Approach<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

What really happens to plastic waste once we throw it away? As Malaysia became a dumping ground for the world\u2019s trash, we set out to expose the truth, protect our communities, and demand global accountability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Investigate and expose<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

We uncover the truth behind plastic waste shipments through on-the-ground investigations, data reporting, and visual storytelling<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Mobilise and empower<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

We work alongside impacted communities, activists, and allies to take action, protest, and demand accountability from polluters and decision-makers.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Advocate and influence<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

We push for strong policy change at local and global levels, including media engagement and coalition-building, to ban plastic waste trade.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Our Projects<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We didn\u2019t just expose a problem \u2014 we sparked a movement. Here\u2019s how we turned local outrage into global pressure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Waste site investigation<\/strong>s<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

We visited illegal and polluting plastic waste sites across Malaysia. Our investigations weren\u2019t just about documenting waste, they exposed the human cost behind the global recycling lie. We published two reports, The Recycling Myth<\/a> <\/em>and The Recycling Myth 2.0<\/em><\/a>, revealing the scale of environmental injustice and the broken system enabling it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Global & regional advocacy<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

From ASEAN dialogues to local and international media, we pushed for bans on plastic waste trade. We worked across borders to make this a regional fight, amplifying stories from Malaysia and beyond to shape policies that protect people, not polluters.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Field documentary<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

We captured on-the-ground realities through film to expose the broken global system of recycling, and how Malaysia has become a dumping ground for the unwanted trash of 19 other countries. Watch the film<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Rally against polluters<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

We joined hands with local communities, activists, and allies to organise nonviolent protests and actions, demanding accountability from plastic waste exporters and the local policymakers enabling this toxic trade.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Mentioned in Media<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Our campaign has been featured in national and international media, amplifying the call to end plastic waste trade and hold polluters accountable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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BBC One<\/a><\/h5>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Cheddar<\/a><\/h5>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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TRT World<\/a><\/h5>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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DW News<\/a><\/h5>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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The Star<\/h5>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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How You Can Help<\/h2>\n\n \n

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