Yeo said Malaysia and many developing countries have become new targets after China banned the import of plastic waste last year. Last week, the Philippines said it would ship back dozens of containers of garbage which Filipino officials were illegally shipped to the country from Canada in 2013 to 2014. In one case alone, Yeo said a U.K. recycling company exported more than 50,000 metric tons (55,000 tons) of plastic waste in about 1,000 containers to Malaysia over the past two years. “This is probably just the tip of the iceberg (due) to the banning of plastic waste by China,” Yeo told a news conference. Even though we are a small country, we can’t be bullied by developed countries.”The government has clamped down on dozens of illegal plastic recycling facilities that had mushroomed across the country, shuttering more than 150 plants since last July.

Source: National Post May 28, 2019 12:00 UTC