News and Newsletter

Author: Lester Kong

PLASTIC pollution continues to plague Malaysia like a difficult-to-quit but easy-to-access opioid. It is still a convenient utility without compare, which leads to microplastics in the ecosystem – including in our food – and illegal dumping that clogs urban drainage and sparks flash floods. But an outright ban on plastics might not be a viable long-term solution either.

Author: Robin Latchem

In ‘The Plastic Recycling Deception’, PT sets out practices it claims are deceptive employed by the plastic industry. It urges stakeholders to re-evaluate their approach to plastic waste management. For years, it insists, the plastic industry has promoted recycling as the solution to the world’s plastic pollution crisis. However, the report highlights that 91% of plastic is not recycled. The use of resin identification codes, often mistaken for recycling symbols, has further misled policymakers, regulators and consumers into believing in the circularity of plastic, it alleges.

Author: Aliran

On 4 April, the Center to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4 Center) launched its latest report, “Ending waste colonialism, governing plastic pollution: Japan’s opportunity to lead Asia out of the plastic crisis”. The report highlighted waste colonialism in Malaysia caused by massive imports of Japan’s plastic waste. Since China banned solid waste imports in 2018, Malaysia has emerged as a global hub for plastic waste exports, with Japan being the leading nation exporting plastic waste to Malaysia.

Author: Rajat Ghai

A whopping 220 million tonnes of plastic waste are set to be generated in 2024, a new study has shown. There has been a steady rise in plastic waste of nearly 10 per cent (7.11 per cent) since 2021. The global average plastic waste per person this year will rise to 28 kilograms. “Just 12 countries are responsible for 60 per cent of the world’s mismanaged plastic waste, the top five being China, USA, India, Brazil, and Mexico,” the Plastic Overshoot Day report released on April 11, 2024 by Swiss non-profit EA Earth Action noted.

Author: Eva Riebeling

At the meeting of the EU Environment Council in late March, Denmark, France and Sweden spoke in favour of subjecting trans-border shipments of textile waste to the control procedures of the Basel Convention. This would make prior notification and consent obligatory for such deliveries. Exports of hazardous textile waste, such as material contaminated with chemicals or paint, should be banned altogether, the countries say.

Author: Ann Kühlers

British company Roydon Resource Recovery Ltd has been sentenced to pay a total penalty of nearly £870,000 (€1.01m) in connection with waste plastic exports improperly declared as green waste. At issue in the case were some 247 tonnes of refuse in ten shipping containers sent to Poland. The Manchester-based recycler claimed that the material was clean plastic sorted from household waste, but the shipments consisted primarily of plastics unsuitable for recycling, according to England's Environment Agency (EA), which brought the prosecution. The environmental enforcement body said that the material was also heavily contaminated with other household items including electrical equipment, nappies and oil canisters. The investigation led by the EA found that the waste was intended to be incinerated as fuel and there was no intention of it being recycled.

Author: The Malaysia Insight

MALAYSIA has emerged as a global hub for plastic waste exports, with Japan being the top exporter of such rubbish, a report shows. Center to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4) said in a report released yesterday that Japan exported 21.7 million kg of plastic waste per month to Malaysia in 2023. Since China banned solid waste imports in 2018, Malaysia has become an international hub for such waste, the report said.

Author: Liew Yen Rou and Mikha Chan

PETALING JAYA: Japan severely underreported the export to Malaysia of more than 9,000 tonnes of plastic waste, including PVC, Basel Action Network (BAN) executive director Jim Puckett said. Puckett, whose organisation monitors plastic waste, highlighted that Malaysian authorities claimed to have only received 10 notifications for PVC waste imports from Japan last year.

Author: Beatriz Santos

Amazon generated more plastic packaging in the United States in 2022 than the year prior, a new report by Oceana, an ocean conservation non-profit, has revealed. The retail giant generated 208 million pounds (94,347 tonnes) of plastic packaging waste for all transactions in the United States in 2022, a 9.6% increase compared to 2021, according to Oceana’s estimates. Globally, on the other hand, Amazon reduced its use of single-use plastic packaging in shipping by 11.6% to 85,916 tonnes, according to the company’s 2022 sustainability report.

Author: Justine Calma

Despite making pledges to cut down on plastic packaging, a new report from the nonprofit conservation organization Oceana estimates that Amazon’s plastic waste has continued to grow in the US. The company created 208 million pounds of plastic waste from its packaging in the US in 2022 alone, which Oceana says is enough trash to circle Earth more than 200 times in the form of plastic air pillows. That’s a nearly 10 percent jump from the amount of plastic waste it generated the year before, according to the report.

Author: MalayMail

KUALA LUMPUR, April 2 — South-east Asia remains a significant destination for illicit waste shipments, with Europe, North America, and Asia identified as the primary regions of origin, according to a new United Nations (UN) report. The report titled “Turning the Tide: A Look Into the European Union-to-Southeast Asia Waste Trafficking Wave” highlights that illegal waste is being diverted to countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam, posing a significant challenge to the region.

Author: The Hindu

A major fire broke out at a godown that stocked plastics and other scrap material in Pallikaranai on Tuesday (April 2, 2024) morning. However, police said no casualties were reported.

The blaze broke out at 10.30 am at the godown located adjacent to Sixth Street, Ram Nagar South Extension. Thick smoke billowed as plastic and other inflammable materials went up in flames. The entire residential area was enveloped in smoke. Panic-stricken residents out their houses to see what was going on. 

Author: Mark Smulian

The Textile Recycling Association (TRA) has warned of an imminent collapse of the textile recycling sector because of global market difficulties. It said its members had “a real fear” they would be unable to collect from charity shops, recycling centres or community textile banks because processing plants had reached capacity. President Dawn Dungate said that some countries were unable to pay for goods because of political issues, delays in receiving goods or due to unfavourable exchange rates, which had left UK plants having to store the clothing concerned.

Author: Sandee LaMotte, CNN

Flame retardants added for decades to thousands of consumer products in the United States may raise the risk of dying from cancer, according to new research. People with the highest levels of polybrominated diphenyl ethers, or PBDEs, in their blood had approximately a 300% increased risk of dying from cancer compared with people with the lowest levels, the study found.

Author: Bhavesh Bakshi

Mumbai: A significant fire erupted at a scrap godown in the Bhiwandi area of Maharashtra on Saturday night, according to fire officer Shailesh Shinde. Fortunately, no casualties have been reported thus far. Upon receiving the fire call at 11:30 pm, two fire tenders promptly arrived at the scene, initiating efforts to contain the blaze. The fire brigade is currently endeavoring to extinguish the fire, though the cause of the incident remains undetermined.

Author: Regtechtimes

Waste trafficking, a clandestine trade raking in billions of dollars annually, presents a formidable obstacle to global sustainability assists states in enacting or strengthening domestic legislation against waste trafficking. Waste trafficking, also known as the illegal trade of waste, is a highly profitable yet illicit activity that generates billions of dollars annually. This clandestine trade poses significant challenges to global efforts towards sustainability and environmental protection. It is one of the important components of Trade-Based Money Laundering.

Author: Aaron Boorstein

Today, microplastics are found almost everywhere: oceans, food, the atmosphere and even human lungs, blood and placentas. But while they’re thought of as a modern problem, plastic particles are now appearing where one might least expect: ancient archaeological sites. Researchers found microplastics in soil deposits 7.35 meters (24.11 feet) below the ground, according to a study published this month in the journal Science of the Total Environment. The soil samples date to the first or early second century C.E. and were sourced from two archaeological sites in York, England. Some were excavated in the late 1980s, while others were contemporary samples.

Author: Amanda Vanjaarsveld

AUSTIN, TX — At SXSW, a new documentary highlighted the harmful effects of plastics on human health and opened my eyes to this widespread crisis. Upon arriving at the premiere of Plastic People, I felt well-informed about plastics. However, throughout the film I discovered new insights, including the production process, impacts on the human body from the harmful chemicals in plastics and potential solutions. I was captivated.

Author: The Baltic Times

VILNIUS – Lithuania, supported by the Czech Republic, Latvia and Estonia, has proposed that the European Union ban imports of ferrous metals, copper, and aluminum waste and scrap from Russia, saying that Moscow is using the money to finance its war against Ukraine. The proposal was tabled at the Environment Council's meeting in Brussels on Monday, the Environment Ministry said in a press release on Tuesday. 

Author: Marianne Gros

The environment ministers of Denmark, France and Sweden today called on the European Commission to request a change to international rules on waste exports to stop the bloc from exporting hazardous textile waste to developing countries. At today’s Environmental Council, the three ministers asked the Commission to put forward a draft Council decision that would allow the EU to make a formal request to change the Basel Convention, an international treaty that governs the shipments of hazardous waste across borders.

Author: Council of the EU

Today, the Council adopted the revision of the regulation on shipments of waste. As revised, the regulation aims to reduce shipments of problematic waste to outside the EU, update shipment procedures to reflect the objectives of the circular economy and climate neutrality, to make use of electronic submission and exchange of information, and to improve enforcement and tackle illegal shipments.

Author: Rethink Plastic Alliance

Today, the Council of the European Union unanimously agreed to address the harmful practice of the EU’s waste trade, including plastic waste, by fully endorsing the revised Waste Shipment Regulation. The final text is expected to be published in the Official Journal in April, and the Regulation will then enter into force 20 days after publication. The Rethink Plastic alliance and Break Free From Plastic welcome the Council’s decision to endorse the revised text negotiated at Trilogue, which includes increased obligations and standards with regards to the shipment of EU plastic waste. 

Author: Richard Gower

Thousands of people all over the UK have been taking part in the Big Plastic Count, to help show our leaders the extent of our plastic waste problem. (There’s still time to signup to take part, until 25 March. Count your household plastic waste for one week, and submit the data by 31 March.) All over the world, waste pickers are collecting, sorting and recycling plastic and many other types of rubbish. Here’s why their work is so valuable – and how the Global Plastics Treaty should support them.

Author: Colin Staub

An investigation that placed tracking devices in bundles of Amazon’s plastic packaging and dropped them off in store collection receptacles around the U.S. found a “failing” drop-off collection system, its authors said. Amazon said it can’t control how material is handled once it enters the recycling system. The Amazon-focused report, released March 19 and authored by the U.S. Public Interest Research Group and Environment America, is titled “Truth in Recycling: Does Amazon’s plastic packaging actually get recycled?”

Author: Joseph Winters

Feeling guilty about all those blue-and-white plastic Amazon bags piling up around the house? Fear not — they can be recycled! At least, that’s what the packaging says. For years now, Amazon’s plastic bags, bubble-lined mailers, and air pillows have featured the ubiquitous “chasing arrows” recycling symbol along with the words “store drop-off.” The idea is simple: Since most curbside recycling programs don’t accept this type of plastic — it’s too expensive to process and can clog machines — consumers can instead leave it at retail stores across the country. From there, this plastic, known as “film,” will go to a specialized facility and be turned into new products.

Author: Robert Hodgson

Belgium, current holder of the rotating EU Council presidency, has forged agreement between governments over new rules to tackle the growing problem of discarded packaging materials, overcoming the European Commission's concerns over trade diplomacy. National diplomats have endorsed a new European law on packaging waste, including provisions that would hold overseas producers to EU environmental standards on plastic recycling at the risk of losing market access.

Author: Gloria Dickie

LONDON, March 14 (Reuters) - At least 3,000 more chemicals are in plastics — from food packaging to toys to medical devices — than previously estimated by environmental agencies, a report published on Thursday found, raising questions over pollution and consumer safety. While the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) had previously identified around 13,000 plastic chemicals, the report by a team of European scientists found more than 16,000 chemicals in plastics — a quarter of which are thought to be hazardous to human health and the environment.

Author: Reuters

LONDON, March 14 (Reuters) - France is proposing a European Union ban on exports of used clothes, the environment ministry told Reuters on Thursday, as governments look for new ways to tackle the worsening problem of textile waste. United Nations trade data shows the EU exported 1.4 million metric tons of used textiles in 2022, more than twice as much as in 2000. The clothes can cause pollution in African countries where items that can't be resold end up in dumps, the EU has said.

Author: Nathan Canas

The European Parliament on Wednesday (13 March) backed targets for the prevention and reduction of food and textile waste across the bloc. However, environmental NGOs have criticised the proposal’s lack of ambition. At first reading, the Parliament adopted its position on the proposed revision of the directive on preventing and reducing food and textile waste in the EU. Adopted by 514 votes in favour, the report by Anna Zalewska (ECR, PL) proposes to amend the previous European legislation on waste, focusing on two major waste-producing sectors: textiles and food.