2020-01-22
Malaysian authorities said Monday that they had repatriated 150 garbage containers containing about 3,737 tons of waste, 43 of which were destined for France, 42 for Britain, 17 for the United States and 11 for Canada. It plans to repatriate another 110 containers soon, 60 of them to the United States.
Malaysia's Environment Minister, Yeo Bee Yin, said the authorities "will take the necessary measures to continue the fight against pollution, particularly plastic waste, to ensure that Malaysia does not become the world's dumping ground".
Countries in the region have struggled to cope with the influx of waste ships since China decided in 2018 to stop importing plastic waste from the recycling industry, this has forced the developed West to look for new destinations for its waste.
In recent months, several countries in Southeast Asia have adopted the same policies as Malaysia. Indonesia has sent hundreds of containers back to their countries of origin; the Philippines last summer sent a cargo ship full of 60 containers back to Canada.
For more related shipping information, check out the official website of Micro Shipping.
