Recycling sacks found in Malaysia

Far reaching waste

While filming a BBC documentary, War on Plastic with Hugh and Anita, a large mound of recycling waste found by Greenpeace in Malaysia. Amongst the waste were around 50 pink plastic recycling sacks used by Milton Keynes Council (M).

Following this discovery, an independent audit was carried out at M’s own request to identify whether or not its plastics were being processed in line with environmental legislation and its own expectations.

No real answers

The investigation of M’s supply chain and the actions of its contractors found that the sacks’ contents were being turned into plastic fragments suitable for reuse, with the process occurring in the UK. It therefore confirmed M was not exporting its waste to Malaysia intentionally or by accident.

Note. The question of how the sacks travelled half way across the world remains unanswered, but it would appear they were taken there, e.g. having been stolen, as opposed to sackfuls of waste originating from M’s collection service making its way to Malaysia.

Is waste plastic exported?

87% of the EU’s plastic waste was sent to China until 2018 when it decided to ban the import of many types of waste for reprocessing. Following the change in China’s policy, southeast Asian countries, including Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia have been quickly overwhelmed with shipments of waste which exceeded their processing capacity. This led to further countries suspending their acceptance of shipments of contaminated plastics.

Commitment

In May 2019 180 countries signed up to extend the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal . The extension resulted in mixed plastic scrap being added to the Basel Convention, ensuring that the international movement of this waste would be better controlled.

The purpose of the commitment was to stem the tide of plastics finding their way into the world’s oceans. According to the UN, 100 million tonnes of plastic have already done so. Exporters must now obtain consent from the governments of receiving nations before shipping the most contaminated, mixed or unrecyclable plastic waste.

Under scrutiny

With more and more members of the public joining the call for action against environmental damage, you can expect more reports exposing the polluters. In particular, journalists will be looking to expose hypocrisy on the part of those who “talk green” but don’t actually deliver.

Tip. Check that your actions match your rhetoric by carrying out regular reviews of what happens to your waste. Do this proactively, i.e. before you find out the hard way that it’s not working. This is especially important if you are a major waste producer, you’re making substantial claims about recycling, or you’re a large waste carrier.