Malaysia remains the world's second-largest importer of plastic waste from the EU despite government pledges to prevent the country from becoming a global dumping ground.

The amount of plastic waste imported from the EU rose by 35% last year compared to 2022, according to Eurostat data.

The EU exported 8.5 million tons of paper, plastic and glass in 2023, with more than one-fifth destined for Malaysia's dumps.

Indonesia and Vietnam were also large importers of Europe's waste.

While around 90% of Europe's waste is treated locally, exports have surged by 72% since 2004, according to figures from the European Commission.

The EU has agreed to ban plastic waste exports to countries outside the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), including Malaysia, starting in mid-2026.

The measure aims to prevent materials like plastics or chemicals from being sent to countries that cannot properly treat them.

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Jan Dell, an engineer and founder of The Last Beach Cleanup, a campaign group, told DW that the EU's incoming ban is an "admission" that plastic waste exports are "harmful and unethical."

However, she criticized the EU for "massively increasing the amount of plastic trash they ship to Asia now."

"As the EU lectures the world to have high green........

© Deutsche Welle