Webinar | C4 Press Statement | More transparency, stringency needed to preserve human rights and environment from plastic waste imports

The Center to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4 Center) launched its report on plastic waste yesterday with a webinar featuring a panel of experts, with the report and panel concluding that there needs to be more transparent and stringent laws governing waste and recycling to preserve human rights, health and the environment from local and transboundary plastic waste.

The report, titled “Malaysia is not a “Garbage Dump”: Citizens against, corruption, complacency, crime,and climate crisis”, delves into the illegality surrounding plastic recycling in Malaysia, how it occurred, and the implications on the peoples’ right to a safe, clean, healthy, and sustainable environment.

A policy brief was developed from selected findings of the full report focussing on good governance in the global plastic waste trade, which was the theme of the webinar. Some of the recommendations from the policy brief were discussed by the panellists during the webinar, such as prioritising local plastic waste management over export (for exporting countries), full compliance to the Basel Convention and enhancing participatory multi-stakeholder engagements to tackle the illegal waste trade. The complete list of recommendations in the policy brief is available for download.

The webinar was co-organised with Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM), and was moderated by Kiu Jia Yaw, co-deputy chairperson of the environment and climate change committee of the Malaysian Bar. It featured both local and international speakers, with former MESTECC minister Yeo Bee Yin, SAM honorary secretary Mageswari Sangaralingam, and Greenpeace Malaysia campaigner Heng Kiah Chun sharing Malaysia’s experience as a destination for imported plastic waste.