Many developed countries exported their recyclable plastic in large amounts to other countries to process, Malaysia being one of them. Though we have since banned the import of plastic scrap, the official definition of plastic scraps remains vague, and the ban also did not halt unregulated or poorly regulated burning and dumping activities of plastic. It's no secret that the global plastic recycling market is in need of a major overhaul. What are the long-term effects of a broken recycling system, and what would an overhaul of this system look like? We discuss this and more with Mageswari Sangaralingam, a Senior Research Officer at the Consumers' Association of Penang, and a Freelance Researcher at Sahabat Alam Malaysia.

Image Source: Shutterstock 

Produced by: Juliet Jacobs

Presented by: Juliet Jacobs

This and more than 60,000 other podcasts in your hand. Download the all new BFM mobile app.

Categories:  Environment,  Science

Tags:  The Bigger Picture,  Earth Matters,  Plastic Pollution,  Plastic Recycling,  The Recycling Myth,  Waste Management,  Consumers' Association of Penang,  Sahabat Alam Malaysia,  Plastic Waste Imports,