9,000 tonnes of plastic waste from Japan underreported, says activist

 

Basel Action Network executive director Jim Puckett highlighted the philosophy of some nations to make somebody else pay for their pollution.

PETALING JAYA: Japan severely underreported the export to Malaysia of more than 9,000 tonnes of plastic waste, including PVC, Basel Action Network (BAN) executive director Jim Puckett said.

Puckett, whose organisation monitors plastic waste, highlighted that Malaysian authorities claimed to have only received 10 out of 250 notifications for PVC waste imports from Japan last year.

“We really (need to) focus on what’s going on with Japan and Malaysia because (Malaysia) is a real hotspot in the world of waste colonialism and cost externalisation,” Puckett said during the launch of the Center to Combat Corruption and Cronyism report on “waste colonialism” today.

“Waste commonly moves to take advantage of opportunities to externalise and avoid costs.

“Make somebody else pay the bill for your pollution and, despite the green reputation of recycling plastics, it is never 100% and is highly polluting,” Puckett said, noting that this is stipulated under the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Waste and their Disposal.

Puckett said an amendment to the convention governs transparency in the movement of plastic waste, but Japan has refused to ratify this document.

He was concerned that plastic waste shipped to Malaysia would eventually break down into microplastics and end up in the world’s oceans.

Report co-author Wong Pui Yi said plastic waste imported from Japan was found in fragments, which could be harmful to the environment.

Puckett also said Japan is the world’s top plastic waste exporter and Malaysia is the top receiver.

“There appears to be a singular lack of Basel compliance and transparency by industry and both governments in this case.

“The public has the right to know. We need to know in any country of the world what waste we are exporting, what we are importing, where it goes and who it can harm,” he said. - FMT