Malaysia has shut down hundreds of illegal recycling facilities and is shipping the plastic waste back to the country of origin. — AFP
IN the short span of time since China banned the import of 24 categories of recyclable waste last year, South-East Asia has become the top destination for these materials, a high proportion of which comprises various forms of plastic.
The main sources of such waste are the advanced economies, where the labour-intensive business of recycling, which often involves sorting by hand, is uneconomic compared to the relatively low cost of shipping waste overseas. South-East Asia is viewed as an attractive destination because it has importers and waste-processing facilities – many of them illegal – as well as relatively lax environmental regulations.
