Countries in the Global South still bear the burden of managing plastic wastes
imported from the Global North as our research shows. Based on our evidence and investigation, the Malaysian plastic recycling industry is overwhelmed by the huge influx of imported plastic wastes and cannot accommodate these imported plastic wastes in a way that is sustainable and acceptable to global and national government’s standards. This investigation adds to what has already been documented about the narrative on the recycling myth. It is a broken and collapsing system that needs to be urgently and seriously addressed not just by countries like Malaysia but by all countries, especially countries in the Global North, which produce much of the plastic wastes being exported into countries in the Global South.
