Swamped with Plastic Waste: Malaysia Struggles as Global Scrap Piles Up

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26 October 2018 10:02 WIB

Plastic waste piled outside an illegal recycling factory in Jenjarom, Kuala Langat, Malaysia. Picture taken October 14, 2018. Hundreds of sacks filled with plastic waste from the United States, Britain, South Korea and Spain spill onto the streets of an industrial zone in Pulau Indah, an island town just an hour's drive from Kuala Lumpur and home to Malaysia's biggest port. REUTERS/Lai Seng Sin

26 Oktober 2018 00:00 WIB

Plastic waste are piled outside an illegal recycling factory in Jenjarom, Kuala Langat, Malaysia. Picture taken October 14, 2018. The stench of burning plastic and fumes from nearly a dozen recycling factories wafts through the neighbourhood, even as more container-loads of plastic waste are unloaded. REUTERS/Lai Seng Sin

26 Oktober 2018 00:00 WIB

Plastic waste are piled outside an illegal recycling factory in Jenjarom, Kuala Langat, Malaysia. Picture taken October 14, 2018. Pulau Indah - ironically, the name means "beautiful island" in Malay - is one of many towns in Malaysia where illegal plastic recycling factories have popped up in recent months as the Southeast Asian nation became the top choice for plastic waste exporters from around the world. REUTERS/Lai Seng Sin

26 Oktober 2018 00:00 WIB

Plastic waste are piled outside an illegal recycling factory in Jenjarom, Kuala Langat, Malaysia. Picture taken October 14, 2018. The trigger for this dumping deluge was a Chinese ban on waste imports from the beginning of this year, which disrupted the flow of more than 7 million tonnes of plastic scrap a year. Malaysia quickly became the leading alternative destination, importing nearly half a million tonnes of plastic waste between January and July from just its top 10 source-countries. REUTERS/Lai Seng Sin

26 Oktober 2018 00:00 WIB

Scrap from an illegal plastic recycling factory are dumped near a palm oil plantation in Jenjarom, Kuala Langat, Malaysia. Picture taken October 14, 2018. Dozens of factories have opened up in Malaysia to handle that waste, many without an operating licence, using low-end technology and environmentally harmful methods of disposal. REUTERS/Lai Seng Sin

26 Oktober 2018 00:00 WIB

Plastic waste are piled on a truck in an illegal recycling factory sealed off by the authorities in Jenjarom, Kuala Langat, Malaysia. Picture taken October 14, 2018. Used plastic is recycled into pellets, which are then used to manufacture other plastic products, but the process comes with pollution risks. Plastic unsuitable for recycling is burnt, which releases toxic chemicals into the atmosphere. Or it ends up in landfill, potentially contaminating soil and water sources. REUTERS/Lai Seng Sin

26 Oktober 2018 00:00 WIB