Malaysia has sent 150 containers of plastic waste back to their countries of origin since late last year, Malaysian Environment and Climate Change Minister Yeo Bee Yin said on Monday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 20th January, 2020) Malaysia has sent 150 containers of plastic waste back to their countries of origin since late last year, Malaysian Environment and Climate Change Minister Yeo Bee Yin said on Monday.
"The government of Malaysia has repatriated 150 containers of plastic, illegal plastic waste, with approximately 3,737 metric tonnes [of waste]," Yeo told reporters.
The video of Yeo's speech was circulated by Malaysian news outlets.
According to the media, which cited the minister, the countries of origin include the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Canada, Japan, China, Portugal, Lithuania, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Singapore and Hong Kong.
The minister said that Kuala Lumpur did not bear the cost of shipping, as importers and shipping lines paid for the transfer.
Additional 110 containers are also set to be shipped back to the US, the UK, Canada, Japan, Mexico, France, Belgium, Hungary and Jamaica, according to the minister.
Since China decided to stop imports of plastic waste, much of it was diverted to Malaysia and neighboring countries, with many illegal recycling factories dumping waste in the area.
