Whistle Blown, Whistle Heard: Malaysia Declares Reported Shipments of US Plastic Wastes to Asia are Illegal

Indonesian Government Uncertain as Local Protests Begin, Eyes are on India

Seattle, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta. 25 March, 2021. Governments are beginning to react to recent warnings issued by the Basel Action Network (BAN) of likely illegal exports of plastic waste from the US[i]. Due to recent amendments adopted by the 188 Parties to the Basel Convention, as of January 1, 2021, parties will be unable to import US plastic wastes unless they are very pure and unmixed. In its announcement, BAN highlighted recent data showing the US exports have not diminished despite the new rules and flagged three active shipments moving to Indonesia, Malaysia, and India. Already, there have been strong reactions against these pending shipments.

Malaysian Environment Minister Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man, stated on March 20th, that Malaysia would prohibit entry of the waste, exported by Sigma Recycling Inc. which left the Port of Los Angeles on February 14th and is now on the CMA CGM ship Andromeda and is expected to arrive in Port Klang on March 27th.[ii]

In response, Mageswari Sangaralingam of Friends of the Earth Malaysia stated, "It is very clear that exports of Basel listed wastes from the US are now illegal because the US is not a Party to the Basel Convention. We applaud the government for taking action to quickly and properly implement their obligations under the new plastic waste trade rules."

Target Indonesia. Aeshninna Azzahra (Nina) 14, of the River Warrior, a girl-power environmental organization displaying Target department store’s bags exported from the US to Indonesia, protesting the recent plastic waste arrivals from the US. Copyright Ecoton 2021.

In Indonesia, the government appears to be uncertain as to what to do about the two containers of plastic waste that have already arrived at the port of Belwan on board a Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) vessel from California, USA. Three more from the same exporter -- Newport CH International, are also on their way to Indonesia.

Yuyun Ismawati Drwiega, of the organization Nexus3 Foundation, called upon Indonesia to follow Malaysia’s lead to properly enforce the new rules. "Indonesia along with Switzerland have been the two countries forming the “Country Led Initiative” at the Basel Convention to ensure proper implementation of waste trade prohibitions and controls to protect communities around the world from costly pollution. We call upon them to continue to assume this leadership role in the current situation and enforce the new Basel plastic waste rules."

Protests against the shipments have already begun and will continue on March 25th. A girls’ environmental activist group, mobilized to prevent a local river from being contaminated by the massive dumping of plastic waste, known as the River Warrior, will ride their bicycles from their village to the US Consulate. Aeshninna Azzahra, 14, co-captain of the group, will deliver a letter to President Biden there, calling on the US to halt all plastic waste exports to her country.[iii]

Indonesian River Warrior protest the shipments of American plastic waste due to arrive in Indonesia following BAN warnings. Copyright Ecoton 2021.

Meanwhile, the likely illegal shipment of PVC plastic waste on a Maersk Line ship heading to India is due to arrive on March 28th. Authorities there have been notified by BAN and allies.

Today the Break Free from Plastics Act has been introduced into the US Congress. This bill will, among many other things, ensure that the US abides by the Basel Convention rules even before ratifying the accord.

"We fully endorse the Break Free from Plastics Act and call upon the Biden administration to use their executive powers to prevent criminal trafficking in waste and promote the immediate ratification of the Basel Convention," said Jim Puckett, director of the Basel Action Network. "President Biden has stated he is a champion of environmental justice. It’s time for him to put deeds behind words and uphold international law."

END

i. New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/12/climate/plastics-waste-export-ban.html

ii. Reuters: https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/other/malaysia-to-return-us-plastic-waste-shipment-under-new-un-rules/ar-BB1eUew6

iii. See https://ceritamundu.blogspot.com/2021/03/river-warrior-indonesia-united-states.html

For more information:

• Link to 3 Current Example Report.

• Link to Earlier Press Release on US Exports not being reduced.

• Link to Nina's Letter to President Biden

• Trade Data: US

• Trade Data: Malaysia

• Trade Data: Indonesia

For more information contact:

Jim Puckett, Executive Director
Basel Action Network
email: jpuckett@ban.org
phone: +1 (206) 652-5555

Yuyun Ismawati Drwiega
Nexus3 Foundation
email: yuyun@nexus3foundation.org
phone: +44 7583768707

Mageswari Sangaralingam
Sahabat Alam Malaysia
email: magesling@gmail.com
phone: +60128782706

About Basel Action Network

Founded in 1997, the Basel Action Network is a 501(c)3 charitable organization of the United States, based in Seattle, WA. BAN is the world's only organization focused on confronting the global environmental justice and economic inefficiency of toxic trade and its devastating impacts. Today, BAN serves as the information clearinghouse on the subject of waste trade for journalists, academics, and the general public. Through its investigations, BAN uncovered the tragedy of hazardous electronic waste dumping in developing countries. For more information, see www.BAN.org. BAN is a core member of the Break Free From Plastics movement.

About Break Free From Plastics

The #breakfreefromplastic Movement is a global movement envisioning a future free from plastic pollution. Since its launch in 2016, more than 11,000 organizations and individual supporters from across the world have joined the movement to demand massive reductions in single-use plastics and to push for lasting solutions to the plastic pollution crisis. BFFP member organizations and individuals share the common values of environmental protection and social justice, and work together through a holistic approach in order to bring about systemic change under the #breakfreefromplastic core pillars. This means tackling plastic pollution across the whole plastics value chain - from extraction to disposal – focusing on prevention rather than cure and providing effective solutions.