Malaysia to ban US plastic waste, leaving California in a bind

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Jun 26, 2025 at 07:17 PM PDT

Karah Rucker (Anchor/News Reporter)

Malaysia says a ban on plastic waste imports from the United States will begin on Tuesday, July 1. That could create problems for California, which sends much of its plastic waste overseas.

The ban starts next week because the U.S. has failed to ratify the Basel Convention, Malaysia said. It’s one of only a few countries to do so.