NO SPACE FOR WASTE
You’ve probably heard by now about how Southeast Asia has become the new dumping ground for the world’s plastic waste. But you won’t believe just how big a problem is - and how it will only get worse unless we take urgent action now.
Just look at this staggering statistic - Between 2016 and 2018, the ASEAN region saw plastic waste imports grow by 171% - that adds up to more than TWO MILLION tonnes of plastic waste, and most of it from just a handful of countries like the U.S., Japan, Germany and the UK.
Making matters worse, much of it is contaminated and not even recyclable.
The leaders of the 10 ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) countries know this is a massive problem but are not yet working together to make the huge changes needed.
And unbelievably, this urgent issue IS NOT on the agenda at ASEAN meetings happening this year.
Let’s make sure that changes.
A massive show of public support for an ASEAN declaration to ban all plastic waste imports could make all the difference.
Send a clear message to ASEAN - there is NO SPACE FOR WASTE
We make the following recommendations to ASEAN:
Impose an immediate ban on all imports of plastic waste, even those meant for "recycling" and ensure all ASEAN countries ratify the Basel Ban Amendment;
Establish a holistic regional policy geared toward massively reducing the production of single-use plastic packaging and products, and facilitating innovation on reusable packaging and alternative delivery systems.
Advance a sustainable and ethical circular economy framework, grounded on zero waste approaches, that protects human health and the environment, and enable the ASEAN region to decouple growth from excesssive resource extraction, production, consumption and wastage.
We call on you to make an urgent joint declaration to end the trade in plastic waste imports from abroad, and put in place systems to support a sustainable plastic-free world.
