British waste found dumped in Malaysia, says report

Updated 5 years ago · Published on 22 Oct 2018 11:02AM · 5 Comments

Piles of plastic rubbish in Sembulan, Sabah. Energy, Technology, Science, Climate Change, and Environment Minister Yeo Bee Yin has announced a blanket ban on the importation of non-recyclable plastics. – The Malaysian Insight, October 22, 2018.

RECYCLABLE and household waste from the United Kingdom have been found discarded by waste companies at several sites around Malaysia, said The Telegraph newspaper.

Reporters from The Telegraph and Unearthed, Greenpeace’s investigative unit, discovered bales of used papers, milk cartons, and supermarket carrier bags – all bearing recyclable logos and stamps linking them to the UK – outside a waste facility in the west of Malaysia.

The reporters also discovered empty recycling bags from five UK councils – Kensington and Chelsea, Hammersmith and Fulham, Castle Point, Basildon, and Tower Hamlets – in a recently closed-down factory immediately alongside one dumpsite.

At one facility in Jenjarom, waste from British high street stores was found in huge piles at recently closed-down facilities, the report said.

Reporters also found Tesco carrier bags, a Sainsbury’s bag for life, Kingsmill bread bags, and Fairy washing machine tablet container bags.

The discovery comes as Energy, Technology, Science, Climate Change, and Environment Minister Yeo Bee Yin announced a blanket ban on the importation of non-recyclable plastics, citing fears that Malaysia could become a “dumping ground” for waste from developed countries.

The country is now the biggest importer of UK plastic waste following China’s ban on importing the products from other countries because of concerns over environmental pollution.

Following the Chinese ban, environmental activists have raised concerns that European nations would start dumping their waste in poor countries because of pressure to hit recycling targets – including the UK, which is expected to miss agreements to recycle 50% of household waste by 2020. – October 22, 2018.

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Comments

  • Bloody piece of shit. Why can't PH government hang these saboteurs that cause huge pollution to the country and then send them to hell. Or PH is only capable to save those who are on death sentence instead of those who are living, or take a simple 'cari makan' approach to blanket ban all smoking. Useless government like UMNO.

    Posted 5 years ago by Jackal Way · Reply

  • In response to the comment above, A TOTAL BAN ON SMOKING IS A GOOD & HEALTHY MOVE AT ALL FOOD OUTLETS..

    Posted 5 years ago by MELVILLE JAYATHISSA · Reply

    • Younger Malaysians may not know that besides British waste "exported" here today our previous colonial rulers from Britain since the 18OO's (when Britain colonised Malaya) introduced a good system of administration based on democratic principles which we were very lucky to inherit from them when Britain granted Malaya independence in 1957 and Merdela was born..

      Posted 5 years ago by MELVILLE JAYATHISSA · Reply

    • Together with the above system of good democratic governance from the British, very fortunately for us, the English also bequeathed to us their language - today's world leading language of education, teaching and learning. At the time of our country's birth at Merdeka in 1957 and for a little time after that, we in primary school were still singing GOD SAVE THE QUEEN (which is still the British national anthem today heard at their international football matches) until it was replaced by our own anthem NEGARA KU in Malay..

      Posted 5 years ago by MELVILLE JAYATHISSA · Reply

    • AND SO TOGETHER WITH BRITISH-ADMINISTERED SARAWAK & SABAH, Malaysia came into being. (Singapore left Malaysia in 1965 to pursue its own dream.) With English, good democratic govt, good natural resources & peaceful peaceloving multiracial communities, Malaya was described in my school textbooks as a "LAND OF MILK & HONEY".

      Posted 5 years ago by MELVILLE JAYATHISSA · Reply