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Malaysia’s plastic ban exposes global waste dumping by rich nations

 

By Faridat Salifu

Malaysia’s recent ban on plastic waste imports is shining a harsh light on a global system that allows rich countries—particularly the United States—to export their environmental burden to the Global South.

The U.S., the world’s top producer of plastic waste, shipped more than 35,000 tons of it to Malaysia in 2023 alone.

For years, developing nations like Malaysia have received mountains of discarded plastic under the guise of recycling, only to face the reality of overloaded systems, illegal dumping, and widespread environmental contamination.

“This is about the global inequality of waste,” said Anja Brandon of Ocean Conservancy. “We make more plastic than we can handle and send it to countries without the capacity to deal with it, simply because it’s cheaper.”

The problem, however, doesn’t stop at poor waste management. According to Brandon, it begins with overproduction—particularly in the U.S., where the average person generates nearly 200 pounds of plastic waste annually.

As Malaysia joins a wave of countries rejecting these shipments, the pressure is now shifting back to exporters. Local governments in the U.S. are scrambling to cope with the waste once rerouted abroad, often without the infrastructure or funds to do so.

“This is not just an environmental issue, it’s a governance issue,” Brandon said. “And unless plastic producers are held accountable, communities and ecosystems will continue to pay the price.”

The ocean bears much of that cost. Every year, over 11 million metric tons of plastic leak into marine environments, harming coral reefs, wildlife, and food chains.

Malaysia’s decision could serve as a turning point—exposing the global waste trade as a system built on imbalance and forcing industrialized nations to face the plastic crisis they helped create.

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