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Austrian companies sent non-recyclable waste: environmental protection organization calls for measures to reduce waste and stricter controls for plastic waste trade
Vienna (OTS) – The environmental protection organization Greenpeace has documents indicating that around 700 tons of non-recyclable mixed plastic waste from old electrical appliances from Austria arrived in Malaysia in 2020. It is prohibited to send non-recyclable mixed plastic waste containing chemicals such as flame retardants to countries with weak recycling systems, such as Malaysia. The ZIB2 and orf.at reported in detail on the case, which could also be relevant under criminal law. The Environment Ministry is already investigating Greenpeace advice. Last year alone, Greenpeace discovered chemical pollution around a two-hectare landfill with European trash in Malaysia. The environmental protection organization calls for legal measures to reduce waste and stricter controls for the plastic waste trade.
“The global trade in plastic waste is a dirty business. Behind this is an unhealthy system: items like plastic packaging, polyester clothing, or household appliances are used here in Europe for a short time. And then the resulting plastic waste is sent tens of thousands of kilometers around the world and recycled in adverse circumstances in countries of the Global South or dumped in landfills, where it damages nature, animals and human health. That must finally be stopped, ”demands Lisa Panhuber, a Greenpeace consumer expert. And also: “In the short term, the authorities must carry out stricter and more frequent controls to ensure that no European waste ends up in landfills in countries of the Global South. But what really matters is that there is no plastic waste. By law, politicians must ensure that packaging, electronic devices and textiles are durable, repairable and reusable. “
In the current case of Austria, an Asian trader had agreed to process 28 containers of supposedly recyclable Austrian waste in Malaysia on his own. However, photographic and video material, as well as statements from the recycling company in Malaysia, indicate that it received non-recyclable plastic and electronics scrap instead. Since garbage in Malaysia could not be recycled, it ended up in a landfill. Only four containers from the delivery got stuck at customs where they are currently located. The Environment Ministry plans to bring them back to Austria for a detailed analysis.
In addition to the 28 containers in 2020, at least eleven containers with rubbish were shipped from Austria to Malaysia in 2019. This is shown in the documents available to Greenpeace. However, the Ministry of the Environment has not officially reported any transport of plastic waste to Malaysia in recent years. Proper waste disposal or incineration in Austria is costly due to environmental regulations and higher labor costs. According to the Austrian Association of Waste Management Companies, household waste disposal companies charge between € 100 and € 170 per tonne of incinerated waste. In the current case, the Asian trader apparently bore the transport and customs costs, as he thought he could recycle and resell the material.
Interpol recently warned that more and more plastic waste is being traded illegally around the world and not properly disposed of in countries in the Global South. Since China stopped importing plastic waste in 2018, the global flow of plastic waste has shifted to Southeast Asian countries like Malaysia. Hundreds of thousands of tons of plastic from Europe, Australia and the United States have landed in Malaysia alone since 2018. Plastic is processed there under dangerous and unsanitary conditions and unusable waste is burned or dumped uncontrollably in open spaces. The previous year, Greenpeace discovered, among other things, a two-hectare illegal dump directly on the bank of a river where garbage from Europe was also stored. Up to 30 trucks full of plastic waste, including old electrical appliances, which contaminate the water with dangerous chemicals, were unloaded there every day. This pollution poses great dangers to animals and plants and to human health.
– Greenpeace Report “The Myth of Recycling 2.0 – Toxic Aftermath of Imported Plastic Waste in Malaysia”:
https://bit.ly/35mPP0j
– Interpol Report on Illegal Plastic Trade: https://bit.ly/37pACy2
Queries and contact:
Lisa panhuber
Consumer expert
Greenpeace CEE in Austria
Tel.: +43 (0) 664 61 26 712
Email: lisa.panhuber@greenpeace.org
Marianne fobel
Press officer
Greenpeace CEE in Austria
Tel.: +43 (0) 664 816 9716
Email: marianne.fobel@greenpeace.org
