In a significant move set to take effect on Tuesday, Malaysia has announced a ban on plastic waste imports from the United States, citing America’s failure to comply with the Basel Convention treaty on international waste transfers. This decision could have profound implications for California, which emerged as a major source of plastic waste shipped to Malaysia following China’s ban on American waste imports in 2018.
In 2024, California exported 864 shipping containers, translating to over 10 million pounds of plastic waste, making it the second-largest contributor to Malaysia after Georgia, according to the Basel Action Network, an advocacy group focused on waste management.
Malaysia’s new waste guidelines, unveiled last month, stipulate that the country will cease accepting plastic waste and hazardous waste from nations that have not ratified the Basel Convention. The U.S. remains one of the few countries, alongside Fiji and Haiti, that has not signed the treaty, which aims to control the international movement of hazardous and other waste.
While Malaysia will continue to accept plastic waste from countries that are signatories to the Basel Convention, these exports will now be subject to pre-inspection at their origin, as per the newly announced guidelines.
Steve Wong, the chief executive of Fukutomi, a global plastic recycling company based in Hong Kong, has indicated that this ban is already starting to disrupt operations at shipping ports. In an email shared with The Times, Wong noted, “With scrap inventories building up at ports and yards, and no clear guidance yet on the enforcement discretion or timeline of Malaysia’s new system, the market for imported plastic waste has effectively frozen.”
A spokesperson for the Los Angeles port stated they were unaware of the impending ban, while Long Beach port officials did not respond immediately to inquiries. However, an Oakland port representative mentioned that their facility “hasn’t historically seen much volume in this commodity, so we don’t anticipate any impact from this change.”
The coming ban has already severely disrupted shipping routes for various types of plastics, particularly those commonly used in grocery bags, trash can liners, and food wraps. Wong elaborated, “The scrap plastics market in Malaysia has come to a virtual standstill amid tightening import regulations and widespread uncertainty ahead of the new control regime taking effect on 1 July 2025. Recyclers, traders, and suppliers are all reporting minimal or no movement of plastic waste.”
Jim Puckett, the founder and chief of strategic direction at the Seattle-based Basel Action Network, welcomed Malaysia’s decision. He argued that much of what is exported as “recycling” ultimately causes more harm than benefit. “The ‘recycling’ is doing more harm than good as only a fraction of the exports ever get recycled,” Puckett stated. “The plastics that are not feasible to be recycled are often hazardous, or contain microplastics, which are commonly dumped, burned, or released into waterways. The export of plastic waste for recycling is a complete sham and it is a relief that the U.S. contribution to this plastic waste shell game is increasingly outlawed.”
According to data from California’s waste agency, CalRecycle, the state exported 11.3 million tons of recyclable materials to various countries, including Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, China, Taiwan, South Korea, Mexico, and Canada in 2022. Among this, 100 million pounds of scrap plastic were sent overseas. Although the Basel Action Network reported that over 10 million pounds went to Malaysia, CalRecycle did not provide a breakdown of plastic exports to individual countries in their 2022 report.
A CalRecycle spokesperson noted that California is dedicated to reducing plastic pollution both locally and globally, and acknowledged a significant decline in scrap plastic exports over the last decade. Maria West, the agency’s communications director, revealed that California exported around 421,000 tons, or nearly 842 million pounds, of plastic scrap to Malaysia in 2018, but this figure plummeted by 98% in 2024 to just 8,000 tons, or about 16 million pounds.
Several major waste companies in California, including Athens Services and Recology, have not responded to requests for comments concerning this issue.
Critics of California’s waste management system argue that a law from 1989 that mandates cities and jurisdictions divert waste from landfills has led to an increase in waste exports to other countries. Up until 2018, China was the primary importer of U.S. plastic waste. However, following the implementation of China’s National Sword policy, which banned the import of most plastic waste, other nations began accepting this waste, often redirecting it to less economically advantaged countries such as Malaysia, Vietnam, and Thailand.
While some of the plastic waste is recycled in these countries, a substantial amount ends up incinerated or in landfills, contributing to environmental problems, including blocking rivers and polluting oceans.
Advocates from groups like the Basel Action Network, along with participants of the Basel Convention, are working diligently to curb the flow of contaminated, non-recyclable plastic from wealthier countries, like the U.S., to those less economically stable.
Jan Dell, president of LastBeachCleanUp, an organization based in Laguna Beach that focuses on anti-plastic waste initiatives, expressed support for Malaysia’s decision. Dell urged waste companies, brokers, and shipping firms to “respect Malaysia’s sovereign law and STOP all plastic waste shipments. The plastic waste must NOT be re-rerouted to other poor countries.”
In a notable step towards addressing plastic waste domestically, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 54 in 2022, a groundbreaking law aimed at creating a circular economy for single-use plastic products and packaging. This legislation is designed to tackle the export of plastic waste and obligates product manufacturers to verify that their products are being recycled or composted in ways that mitigate environmental pollutants and reduce health risks for those living near waste disposal sites.
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