Malaysia and Philippines have become the latest Southeast Asian countries to refuse plastic imports from Western countries. The Malaysian government is now working on shipping thousands of tonnes of plastic waste back to the UK, US, Canada, and Australia. The Philippines has also sent plastic containers back to Canada.
Last week, the Philippines announced that it will be returning containers with contaminated garbage to Canada that were sent between 2013 and 2014. These containers had been shipped to Philippines illegally, reports CNBC.
The country is also sending 6,500 tons of illegally exported plastic waste back to South Korea.
Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has even threatened to end diplomatic ties with Canada if it does not accept the 69 containers filled with waste.
The Guardian reports that Spokesperson for Duterte Salvador Panelo said, The Philippines as an independent sovereign nation must not be treated as trash by a foreign nation.
Malaysia is sending 3,000 tons of non-recyclable plastic to the UK, US, Canada, and Australia, because, like the Philippines, it is becoming flooded with contaminated waste that is being illegally smuggled into the country.
Malaysias Environment Minister Yeo Bee Yin said that 10 containers containing cables from the UK, contaminated milk cartons from Australia, discs from Bangladesh, and other electronic and household waste from the US, Canada, Japan, Saudi Arabia, and China will be sent back.
Malaysia will not be a dumping ground, said Yeo, according to Independent.
Why the West dumps plastic in Southeast Asia
The Guardian found that only 9% of the worlds plastic is recycledthe rest is dumped into landfills in Southeast Asia or burned illegally.
However, Yeo said the recent large influx of plastic waste into Southeast Asian countries Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines is because of Chinas ban on plastic imports. These countries reuse the plastic and refashion them into everyday items, like hoses and bottles.
In 2018, China enforced a new policy banning 24 different kinds of waste from foreign countries, including plastics. China imported 51% of the worlds recyclable plastic. However, after the ban, all that waste got redirected to Malaysia and the Philippines, sometimes even illegally.
Down to Earth found that, when acquired by Southeast Asian countries, the plastic recyclables are incinerated in open air and produce toxic byproducts, like mercury and dioxins. These chemicals then pollute the air and water, and trigger ailments in the resident population.
In late 2018, Malaysia also announced a ban on plastic imports with a complete ceasing of the same by 2021. In the two months following this development, Malaysian officials found over 100 illegal plastic importers who began their occupation after China announced its ban, says Down to Earth.
India also enforced a ban on solid waste imports in 2015. However, because it allowed special economic zones to import plastic, the volume of waste still went up in 2018. The Wire says that increased waste imports into India were also due to Chinas ban.
How to reduce plastic consumption
Gone are the days when society could rely on large-scale initiatives to take care of the overconsumption of plastic. Non-biodegradable products and improper waste management have become such pertinent issues that individuals now need to take steps to be greener in their daily lives.
One of the best ways is to reduce consumption of single-use plastic; 40% of the volume of plastic produced annually is for single-use products, like cutlery, milk pouches, kitchen film, and bottles.
After being used, these materials head straight to landfills and waterbodies where they endanger plants with toxins and animals with choking hazards. Sea turtles, dolphins, and orcas are known to get trapped in fishing nets, while water birds like penguins have been documented getting trapped in plastic rings used to hold bottles.
Ordinary individuals can help tackle plastic overconsumption with simple solutions, such as using reusable, cloth shopping bags, carrying one’s own flask, using wooden combs and toothbrushes and metal hangers, and avoiding beauty products with microbeads that pollute waterbodies.
India’s efforts to fight plastic pollution
Maharashtra recently jumped on the bandwagon and banned single-use plastic. This means that no eateries or shopping outlets can use regular plastic straws or packets. Although the state government still allows businesses to use plastic packaging, the ban has been effective in not only curbing the use of plastic but also creating more patronage for eco-friendly items like bamboo, paper, and metal straws, and wooden cutlery.
Even in Assam, students can pay Akshar school in Pamohi fees in the form of polythene bags of plastic waste. Residents in and around Pamohi burn plastic for fuel and warmth, but that is not a sustainable practice.
Co-founder of Akshar Parmita Sarma told Better India, I still remember how our classrooms would be filled with toxic fumes every time someone in the nearby areas would burn plastics
We wanted to change that, and so started encouraging our students to bring their plastic waste as school fees.
Akshar also educates its students about the hazards of plastic waste and trains them to construct infrastructure for the school from plastic. In that same vein, Blue Planet or Our Planet, the Netflix docuseries, has been helping build plastic literacy.
Rhea Arora is a Staff Writer at Qrius