PETALING JAYA: Two local associations have dismissed a report by Greenpeace on plastic waste exported to the country, accusing the environmental non-governmental organisation of painting a distorted picture of the recycling industry here.
The Malaysian Plastics Manufacturers Association (MPMA) and Malaysia Plastic Recyclers Association (MPRA) also said Greenpeace Malaysia had missed the “bigger picture by zooming into just two years’ trade data”.
“It is uncalled for and inaccurate for Greenpeace Malaysia to liken Malaysia to a ‘dumping ground’ when referring to legitimate imports which comply with regulations and laws,” they said in a joint statement.
Last week, Greenpeace reported that the UK exported 63% more plastic waste to Malaysia last year.
The volume of waste exported to Malaysia rose from 40,007 tonnes in 2019 to 65,316 the following year.
This led to Greenpeace Malaysia campaigner Heng Kiah Chun stating that Malaysia and other countries should not be used as a “dumping ground”.
But MPMA and MPRA said that according to uktradeinfo, the UK exported less plastic scrap to Malaysia in 2020 than in 2016. In 2016, UK exported 69,623 tonnes of waste to Malaysia. The figure increased to 91,469 and 102,088 in 2017 and 2018 respectively. Last year it was 65,316.
“Legitimate plastics should not be tarred with the same brush as ‘sampah plastik’.
“Inaccurate statements could destroy the livelihoods of law-abiding Malaysians and the families and loved ones they support.
“Legal and certified operators import clean, homogeneous recyclable scraps and recycle them into valuable materials to support various industries,” they said, adding that Malaysia’s recycling rate had also seen an uptrend, reaching 31% by the beginning of 2020.
They went on to say that there was a need for comprehensive solutions to address plastic products throughout their life cycle, from design to waste reduction, recycling to proper disposal at the end of life. - FMT
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