According to Malaysian media reports, in order to avoid becoming a 'trash can' for foreign garbage, the Minister of Energy, Environment and Environment of Malaysia announced that Malaysia will completely ban the import of non-recyclable solid waste, especially discarded plastic waste, to reduce the environmental impact of plastics. The degree of pollution.
The minister said that at present, all plastic waste imports in Malaysia have been frozen, and the government has also frozen the license to operate plastic recycling plants. At the same time, the Malaysian government will ensure that all plastics that cannot be recycled and plastics that contravene environmental quality laws are completely banned. The government is reviewing recycling-related activities, and about 30 companies have been shut down for importing and producing illegal plastic waste.
Since China issued a ban on the import of plastic waste, Southeast Asian countries have become one of the important destinations for Western countries to export plastic waste. According to statistics from relevant agencies, in the United States, for example, only plastic waste exported to Thailand this year has increased. 2000%, reaching 91,505 tons; plastic waste exports to Malaysia increased by 273% to 157,299 tons; plastic waste exported to Vietnam increased by 46% to 71,210 tons.
The rapid growth of plastic waste in the short term has broken the original ecological balance in Southeast Asia. In addition, the industrial systems of Southeast Asian countries are not complete. The environmental protection pressure of plastic pollution in Southeast Asian countries has suddenly increased. Industry experts said that this Malaysia The promulgation of plastic waste ban is closely related to the environmental damage caused by the influx of plastic waste. At the same time, experts said that the ban issued by Malaysia is likely to trigger a chain reaction in Southeast Asia, triggering a ban on plastic waste in many Southeast Asian countries. Some countries such as Vietnam and Thailand have introduced corresponding measures or restricted or banned the import of plastic waste. Once Southeast Asian countries have issued bans, Western plastic waste exporters may have to consider where much of the plastic waste they produce should be shipped.
Not only Malaysia, according to foreign media reports, the Thai government is planning to officially notify all types of foreign plastic waste in 2021. The APL, one of the top ten global shipping companies, announced that it will no longer accept shipments from the United States or Canada. Plastic waste in mainland China, Malaysia, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam, is effective immediately. Vietnam is also rethinking the policy on plastic waste because its port is crowded with freighters that transport plastic waste, causing port congestion.
In fact, after the ban on plastic waste in China, western plastic waste exporters headed by the United States and the United States have also issued a series of policies aimed at reducing or eliminating plastic waste. However, most of their policies are mainly effective in the short term, and they are effective in the short term. In China, there is a lack of recycling system for handling plastic waste. Therefore, the plastic waste generated at this stage is still mainly exported, and exports to developing countries such as Southeast Asia and South Asia are the most.
However, the level of plastic waste recycling in Southeast Asia, which is headed by Malaysia, is also very limited. The influx of plastic waste will only increase the burden on the local ecological environment, facing the ban on wastes introduced by countries with plastic waste imports. Where should the Western plastic waste exporters go?