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Malaysia to Send Tons of Plastic Waste Back to the U.S.

More than 3,000 tons of waste that ended up in Malaysia from Western countries will be sent back over the coming weeks.

More than 3,000 tons of plastic waste sent to Malaysia by Western countries is going to be sent straight back. The non-recyclable plastic waste will be shipped back to the U.S., the U.K., Canada, and Australia to avoid Malaysia becoming a “dumping ground to the world,” according to the country’s environment minister. Yeo Bee Yin said Tuesday that 60 containers full of contaminated waste were smuggled into the country. They held cables from the U.K., milk cartons from Australia, and bales of waste from the U.S., Canada, Japan, Saudi Arabia, and China. Yeo said some of the waste seems to have been first sent to China, but then rerouted to Malaysia after China banned plastic waste imports. “This is probably just the tip of the iceberg [due] to the banning of plastic waste by China,” said Yeo. “Malaysia will not be a dumping ground to the world... we will fight back. Even though we are a small country, we can’t be bullied by developed countries.”