A new Greenpeace report, 'The Recycling Myth 2.0', released on Wednesday 27 May, highlights the long-term effects of plastic waste illegally exported to Malaysia from 19 rich countries under the guise of recycling, and the hazardous substances and chemicals which are potentially harmful to human health and the environment that are contained within it.
Brominated flame retardants and heavy metals, such as cadmium and lead, are among the substances identified at sites where plastic waste has been burned and in water near the sites in question.
“Exporting countries such as Germany have to take responsibility for their waste. Stricter regulations are needed to drastically reduce the production of unnecessary single-use plastic packaging by multinational companies such as Nestlé, so that waste does not have to be exported in the first place”, says Manfred Santen of Greenpeace Germany in a press release.
Among other measures, Greenpeace Malaysia advocates promoting a global agreement to combat the flood of plastics among governments from plastic waste exporting countries to immediately work towards a binding international agreement to resolve the plastic waste problem, covering all aspects of the single-use plastic lifecycle while furthering efforts in the protection of the climate, oceans and biodiversity.
To read the report in English: https://bit.ly/2B6gmU5 (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)