A Malaysian lawyer who petitioned for New Zealand to stop sending plastic recycling to developing countries will be facing off against industry groups in Parliament tomorrow. This Thursday morning, petition leader Lydia Chai will argue for a ban on all plastic waste exports during oral submissions to the Environment Select Committee.

Lydia Chai, who is based in Auckland, said that large amounts of the plastic waste are being illegally dumped or burned near her hometown and other locations in Malaysia. This is due to poor law enforcement, corruption, and Malaysia’s lack of capacity to process the world’s waste. The result is that residents close to the processing plants suffer increased health problems, and the local environment has become severely polluted.

“After China imposed stricter controls on its waste imports in 2018, the world scrambled to find another destination for its rubbish,” explains Chai. “Since then, Malaysia and the rest of beautiful Southeast Asia has become the world’s rubbish bin.”

In the last six years, New Zealand has exported more than 200 million kilograms of plastic waste.

“With these eye-watering amounts, how can you not expect the plastics to leach into the environment?” says Chai.

Chai says that as long as OECD countries see plastic waste exports as an viable option, the problem will not go away. She thinks an outright ban will incentivise New Zealand to process more waste domestically, as well as reduce its plastic consumption. 11,500 people signed Chai’s petition.

Industry groups such as Plastics New Zealand and the Waste & Recycling Industry Forum have made submissions to oppose Chai’s petition. The oral submissions will be livestreamed on the Environment Select Committee Facebook Page at 10:40AM on Thursday 8 June 2023: https://www.facebook.com/environmentSCNZ/

“I am so angry that rubbish from all these OECD countries is making my home country dirtier and less healthy to live in,” says Chai. “New Zealanders want to do the right thing, and if we all knew what really happens to our recycling, I think all of us in New Zealand would want the exports to stop, too.”

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