Human Writes: Malaysia must step up on plastic pollution

These are bits of microplastics that can now be found in the seafood that we eat, and even the air that we breathe. And Malaysians are getting way too much of this stuff in our bodies. — © 2023 The New York Times Company

Nonya kuih was once one of Thing Siew Shuen’s favourite foods. But for years now she has not bought the delicacy. Not due to the kuih itself or her diet, but for a reason few of us consider: the packaging.

In Malaysia, kuih almost always comes in “Type 6” plastic packaging. Of the several plastic types, Type 6 (polystyrene) is considered the worst for the environment – it’s rarely recycled (too difficult), not biodegradable, and contains toxic chemicals which leach, especially when it’s heated.

Some countries have banned it, but in Malaysia it’s everywhere – in disposable cups, cutlery, food containers, and egg cartons – in clear or foam (“Styrofoam”) form. You can identify it by the “6” in the triangular arrows symbol – and don’t be fooled into thinking they’re a recycling sign.

The plastics recycled in Malaysia are types 1, 2, and 5, which are often used in clear bottles, detergent bottles, and some food containers (such as yogurt cups).

“At least with those, I can clean and downcycle them when I have to use them,” says Siew Shuen, the senior programme manager for Greenpeace South-East Asia. “But for kuih in Type 6, there are no alternatives. No reuse. No recycling.”

Despite her steadfast stance, she has no illusions about the impact of her personal actions. Although every little bit helps, the plastic problem is simply way too massive. Systemic change is needed.

Most plastics don’t get recycled (and can only be recycled a few times) and can take years, even centuries, to decompose. Thus, they pollute our planet, turning up everywhere from monsoon drains to the depths of the Mariana Trench. Remember how the search for MH370 was hampered by a giant rubbish patch floating in the Indian Ocean? Most of it is plastic waste.

Every minute, the equivalent of a rubbish truck of plastic is dumped into the ocean. By 2050, it’s estimated that the oceans will have more plastic than fish. Plastics also leach toxins. Malaysia has 125 non-sanitary landfills releasing leachate, reports Greenpeace.

Malaysia must step up on plastic pollution. Firstly, we are a key player in the global plastics industry, with a sales turnover of RM61bil and exports of RM16bil in 2023, industry figures show.

We use a lot of plastic. Malaysia had the highest annual plastic packaging consumption per capita – nearly 17kg per person – in Asia in 2019, a World Wide Fund for Nature study found. Our “tapau” (takeaway food) culture heavily uses single-use plastics to bag cutlery, sauces, and the meal.

On top of this, Malaysia is one of the largest importers of plastic waste, importing close to half a million tonnes in 2024. We’re the second largest dumping ground for the European Union’s plastic trash. We’ve been called “the world’s rubbish bin”!

Here’s what’s crazy: our waste management system can’t even cope with our own plastic waste, with limited recycling capacity and infrastructure. With oversight poor, illegal dumpsites have emerged, some with illegally imported waste that’s hazardous and not recyclable. It’s a mess, literally.

No wonder we have been ranked among the worst countries for mismanaged plastic waste.

All this has a direct impact on us. Microplastics, now ubiquitous, can cause cancer and disrupt hormones. These tiny particles come from plastic items breaking down or are produced for use in cosmetics and cleaning products. They pass through water filtration systems and contaminate water, soil, and the air. They end up in crops, fish, animals – and us.

Malaysia has the highest microplastic consumption among 109 countries, a 2024 study found. We eat a ghastly 500mg of microplastics a day roughly on average, per capita. All that mismanaged plastic trash – from landfill runoffs and the sea – eventually comes back to us.

Last month, the government took a step forward with a ban on single-use plastic bags in national and state parks and retail outlets. Efforts to combat illegal e-waste processing (driven by illegal imports) will also be strengthened.

But there are still major issues to tackle. Why do we import so much plastic waste when we can’t manage our own? Why use so much Type 6 plastic when it can’t be recycled, when it leaches toxins in a landfill, or spews carcinogens such as dioxins into the air if incinerated?

It’s high time we act. And the time is now, with final negotiations for a Global Plastic Treaty about to start up again in August. Although over 100 countries support capping plastic production, a handful of oil producers only want to target plastic waste.

Malaysia has sided with the latter group. The local plastic industry is firmly against production cuts, calling for more recyclable plastics. Greenpeace is calling for a 75% reduction in plastic production by 2040 globally.

Environmental groups say recycling is not a solution, especially amid mounting plastic production. They are calling for a ban on single-use plastics and problematic plastics; for producers to bear some responsibility; and for a shift towards systems that prevent waste and promote reuse.

Given that we’re literally being poisoned by plastic waste, we do need major change. As a major producer, user, polluter, and importer of plastics, Malaysia must take the onus here. We can’t recycle our way out of this.

For now, I’ll also skip the kuih.

Human Writes columnist Mangai Balasegaram writes mostly on health but also delves into anything on being human. She has worked with international public health bodies and has a Masters in public health. Write to her at [e-mail]. The views expressed here are entirely the writer's own.