In just two short years, the world has awoken to the hidden, harsh realities of the plastic waste trade that is called “recycling.” More than 100 investigations and reports have shown serious environmental and social harms in receiving countries. In the recent “Plastic Wars,” FRONTLINE and NPR showed plastic waste from the United States (U.S.) dumped and burned in Indonesian communities in 2019.

A high-profile scrap plastic shipment from the U.S. to Malaysia was accepted after the importing country’s government said it contained clean, sorted material. The situation demonstrates the complexities in interpreting new plastic shipping regulations.

Malaysia said on Tuesday it had sent 267 containers of illegal plastic waste back to their countries of origin since 2019, and was in the process of returning 81 more.

At a time when 600 containers of hazardous and toxic waste destined for Tunisia have been blocked by the Italian customs authorities, civil society activists from the port city of Sousse gathered on Thursday, to rally in front of the Italian Embassy in Tunis.

About 100 containers of plastic waste are being held at the North Butterworth Container Terminal (NBCT), awaiting Customs and port clearance to be sent to their country of origin.

The materials arrive in containers in Brazil and include from paper shavings to used hospital material, human waste and surgical gloves.

Malaysia has allowed entry of a container of plastic waste shipped from the United States, reversing previous opposition after finding it held only clean, recyclable material, and did not violate a new United Nations treaty banning trade in contaminated plastics.

Developed countries like the United States should take responsibility for their own waste and recycle them domestically rather than export them, Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) said.

Dozens of Tunisian activists protested in the port city of Sousse on Sunday to demand the return of nearly 300 containers of household waste illegally imported from Italy.

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.

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysia will return a container of plastic trash en route from the United States as it violates new U.N. rules governing hazardous waste, the environment ministry said on Wednesday, one of the first signs of the regulations being enforced.

PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia will impound a container from Los Angeles in the United States, suspected of carrying commercial plastic waste when it arrives at Port Klang on Monday (March 22).

IPOH: Malaysia will only allow a container from Los Angeles, suspected of carrying commercial plastic waste to return to the United States after documentation checks have been conducted, under the Basel Convention.

2021 started with uncertainty in the trading of plastic waste worldwide because many countries did not adopt the new Basel Convention rules when they came into force on 1 January. There was an absence of information from importing nations about how localized legislation was being updated. They appeared to be unable to respond to the queries sent by countries looking to export plastics scrap about how to secure consent to trade between their two countries.

Germany exports around one million tons of plastic waste worth around 254 million euros every year. This is more than any other country in the EU.

Plastic is in everything, from the clothes we wear to the water we drink. John Oliver explains how plastics are harming the planet, why recycling isn’t the solution you think it is, and why fixing the problem will be up to not just consumers, but corporations and policymakers.