Indonesia, a major recipient of the world’s plastic scrap exports, says it has introduced a ban on all imports starting this year.
The move comes as other Southeast Asian nations are tightening up their regulations on the plastic waste trade. Thailand has also introduced a ban this year.
Plastic scrap exported to Southeast Asia comes from all over the world, with the majority from the European Union, Japan, and the United Kingdom. About half of the 16 million tonnes of plastic waste produced annually in the EU is exported for recycling.
The Indonesian government says the ban is in response to the environmental impacts from a flood of plastic entering the Southeast Asian country – about 260,000 tonnes a year – and will allow local recyclers to refocus on domestic plastic waste. Currently, the government estimates that less than 10 percent of the more than 12 million tonnes of plastic consumed in Indonesia each year gets recycled.
The ban has been met with encouragement from some and skepticism from others, who fear it will be poorly enforced and could even constitute an act of “greenwashing.” Some local campaigners say it will not address the major causes of pollution, which come through paper waste imports contaminated with scrap plastic.
Meanwhile, there are fears that the bans could lead to an increase in exports to neighboring Malaysia, which is currently the world’s top recipient of plastic waste. Environmental advocates point to the need for tighter regulations on exporting nations to avoid simply shifting the problem from one country to another.
Cows making a home on giant pile of electronic waste scrap at an illegal dump site south of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Photo by Michael Neilson.
Indeed, Indonesia and Malaysia became hotspots for global plastic waste only after China banned imports of plastic and many other scrap materials for recycling in 2018. Exporters from wealthy nations shifted their focus to Southeast Asia, and recyclers who had been operating in mainland China flocked to these nations.
Regulators were unable to keep up. While a legitimate recycling industry exists – globally estimated to be worth close to $40 billion annually – regulatory systems were not quick enough and major environmental issues started to emerge.
Local recyclers, making everything from new bottles to buckets, say they need plastic imports because of Indonesia’s poor domestic recycling collection systems. The Indonesian government and industries want plastics that are clean, sorted, and easy to recycle, such as PET, which is commonly used in beverage bottles.
But local environmental groups Ecoton and Nexus3 say even recycling those top plastics causes major harm, as they concentrate dangerous chemicals and release microplastics into the air and water.
Toxic smoke fills the air from a limestone kiln fueled with scrap plastic in Karawang, West Java, Indonesia. Photo by Yuyun Ismawati.
Concerns Around Plastic Scrap Contamination
These groups have also found that plastic waste often contaminates paper scraps, posing a major threat to the environment and health in regions like Java or Sumatra. These unwanted plastics are either discarded or donated by paper-importing companies to local communities, who then engage in illegal sorting and burning of plastic.
At one of these sites in Pagak, a small village in East Java, huge piles of plastic scrap sit outside each house. While most of the plastic is unrecognizable due to degradation, it doesn’t take long to spot items from all over the world: a coffee bag from France, frozen fish sticks wrapper from the United Kingdom, beer packets from Australia.
The village is right next to a major paper recycling facility. Locals who spoke to The Diplomat said they got the scrap for free from the facility and would sort through the scrap to find tiny pieces of paper and cardboard they would then sell back to the paper mill. They were earning the equivalent of $60 a month, which supplemented the crops they could grow.
Also in the village was a giant open limestone kiln, where several men tended to a huge fire they said was burning 24/7 to soften the stones above. It was entirely fueled by soft scrap plastic received from the paper mill. Thick, black smoke bellowed out as children played on the street and other villagers sat nearby.
The fires emit alarming levels of dioxins and hazardous chemicals and ultimately infiltrate human food chains, including through the ash.
A man fuels an open limestone kiln in East Java with scrap plastic that comes from a nearby paper mill. The plastic comes from all over the world. Photo by Michael Neilson.
Ahmad Yani is a waste collector and waste management activist for the village.
He told The Diplomat that some 900 households received scrap plastic from the nearby mill for sorting. He said people were not aware of the health risks, but he doubted there would be resistance if the government tightened regulations.
“They would not actually be opposed because the pay is so low,” Yani predicted, adding, “they just want jobs.”
Further north in the town of Tropodo, thick black smoke fills the horizon also, but this time it is emanating from the 60 tofu factories in the area.
A local tofu factory owner said they had all started using plastic fuel since about 2010 because it was free and burned easily, as opposed to wood and gas.
He had switched to using a combination of plastic and coconut husks, but not for health reasons. He disputed the idea that burning plastic was bad for health, saying that he made the change so the smoke would be less black and attract less attention.
The Indonesian government has attempted to regulate waste imports through stricter policies. In 2021, along with new international laws under the Basel Convention, it introduced regulations requiring direct shipments from exporters to importers to improve monitoring. The government also set a contamination limit of 2 percent for imported waste.
Ecoton’s executive director, Dr. Daru Setyorini, said there had been a reduction in dumping since the peak in around 2019-2020, but that regulations were poorly enforced. In some cases the dumping had simply shifted elsewhere.
“Despite the 2 percent contamination rule, we have found contamination levels of up to 30 percent in some imports,” Setyorini said.
The waste also often bypassed regulations by being reclassified as industrial raw material rather than scrap plastic, she said.
Ecoton’s executive director, Dr. Daru Setyorini, said that her group was supportive of the import ban but skeptical that it would be properly enforced. Photo by Michael Neilson.
International studies involving Ecoton and Nexus3 have found microplastics and dangerously high levels of toxins entering the food chain near those international junkyards, including through free-range chicken eggs – the best indicators of toxins entering the food chain.
Near a tofu factory in Tropodo, tests found that eating one egg would exceed the European Food Safety Authority’s tolerable daily intake for chlorinated dioxins by 70 times, according to a report by the International Pollutants Elimination Network. Dioxin exposure is linked to a variety of serious illnesses in humans, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, and endometriosis.
Setyorini said she was optimistic about the government’s plan to ban plastic scrap imports but warned it needed to be followed through with enforcement.
She was also skeptical of the ability of domestic recycling to make up the difference.
Deborah Kezia, the chief marketing officer of plastic waste management company Recovered Indonesia, said Indonesia’s ban could be effective but there needed to be more investment in domestic recycling and collection.
There is more than enough plastic in Indonesia for the local recycling factories to do without imports, she said.
Recovered Indonesia only uses local waste and has seven sites across the archipelago in places generally poorly served by waste collection. They targeted low-to-mid grade plastics that were often neglected by the major plants.
“We have so many recycling companies but many rely on imported plastics,” Kezia said. “We want to change that, to solve our own problems.”
However, local waste banks told The Diplomat that while there was government support to get established, they had to fund the process entirely themselves, meaning they lacked adequate facilities to properly sort and collect recyclable material.
“The solution lies not in shifting the problem elsewhere but in fundamentally changing how the world produces and manages waste,” said Setyorini. “Developed nations must stop using Indonesia as a dumping ground and take real responsibility for their waste.”
Some of the identifiable plastics from illegal dumpsites in East Java, Indonesia. Plastic here can be identified as coming from the European Union, United Kingdom, United States, Australia, and New Zealand. Photo by Michael Neilson.
Government Defends Ban
Novrizal Tahar, the Ministry of Environment’s director of waste management, confirmed that the ban came into force on January 1, 2025.
“The ban on import of plastic scrap will encourage the use of domestic plastic scrap in the recycling industry and overcome the problem of overcapacity at the landfill,” Tahar said.
Asked about plastic contaminants in paper imports, Tahar said the ban would also encourage recyclers to use all available plastics.
Asked about the health impacts of current local disposal methods, Tahar said the ministry was communicating these concerns to local governments and would take enforcement action if necessary.
“Open burning of plastic scrap is dangerous for human health and the environment,” Tahar said. “Reducing the practice of burning plastic and adopting safer waste management practices can significantly reduce these health risks.”
Tahar said the ministry had asked local governments to focus on waste processing and develop waste reduction roadmaps as well as encouraging neighborhoods to have waste bank units and villages with central waste banks.
The Indonesian Plastics Recyclers Association and Indonesia Pulp and Paper Association did not respond to requests for comment.
Yuyun Ismawati, co-founder of the Nexus3 Foundation, a Jakarta-based research and advocacy group, was less optimistic about the ban, predicting, “It will be impossible to ban waste importation.”
Ismawati said there was no evidence plastic imports had stopped, nor that importers would respect it. “They are still coming in,” she said.
While official data for January has not yet been released, sources in the recycling industry say the plastic imports have not completely stopped yet, and they understood the ban would be phased in.
Ismawati said that while she supported the idea it needed to be phased in, as it had in Thailand, the government was not taking advantage of the time bought by a gradual approach.
“In Thailand they worked on it for years,” she said. “Here we have been pushing them since 2019 to get a roadmap in place to make the plastic and paper industry sustainable – we are still waiting – and then they just come up with this ban.”
About 900 households in this part of East Java receive piles of scrap plastic from the nearby paper mill, which they sort through for pieces of paper and cardboard to sell back. These women said they worked everyday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and could earn the equivalent of $60 a month. Photo by Michael Neilson.
Fears of a Flood of Plastic to Malaysia
Meanwhile, with Thailand and Vietnam also introducing stricter regulations on plastic waste imports, there is concern that Malaysia will become an even larger dumping ground.
Under pressure, the government there has implemented a policy to limit plastic waste imports, aiming to eventually phase out all plastic waste imports within a set timeframe. Currently, it only allows clean, recyclable material from specific countries like the United States, EU members, and Japan. Malaysia’s government is also requiring importers to gradually increase their use of domestic plastic waste sources to reduce reliance on foreign imports. It says this policy is primarily enforced through import permits and quality checks to ensure compliance with recycling standards.
Wong Pui Yi, a Malaysian campaigner with the Basel Action Network, said these checks were not happening, and they were regularly finding illegal dumps of foreign plastic waste.
“We are extremely worried that all these operators will come and relocate to Malaysia,” Wong said. “Why? Because we are still one of the easiest countries to bring plastic waste into, and enforcement is weak.”
Wong Pui Yi, a Malaysian campaigner with the Basel Action Network, examines a giant pile of electronic waste scrap at an illegal dump site south of Kuala Lumpur. Photo by Michael Neilson.
Before China’s ban, Malaysia imported around 200,000 tons (200 million kilograms) of plastic waste per year. However, once China closed its doors, the volume skyrocketed to over 800,000 tons in 2018. The government responded with crackdowns, reducing official import figures to about 300,000 tons annually. Despite this, Malaysia remains one of the world’s top importers of plastic waste, according to United Nations trade data.
The Basel Convention, an international treaty regulating hazardous waste movement, expanded its scope to include plastic waste in 2021. This led to a decline in certain types of waste, particularly food packaging. However, it did little to curb the illegal import and disposal of shredded plastic materials, often derived from electronic waste.
Since 2021, according to local campaigners, Malaysia has seen a dramatic increase in these shredded plastics, which are found dumped in urban and rural areas, palm oil plantations, and even residential neighborhoods. The resurgence of packaging waste in 2024 suggests that illegal plastic imports continue despite regulations.
Much of the imported plastic waste ends up in illegal dumping sites, where it is either left to decompose or set on fire.
Grace Foo and Mei Fang live in an apartment block in Selangor where every day they see piles of plastic and electronic waste being burned, sending toxic smoke across the area. Photo by Michael Neilson.
Grace Foo and Mei Fang deal with the consequences of these byproducts every day. They live with their families in an apartment block in Selangor, about an hour’s drive south of Kuala Lumpur.
Several hundred meters away is an area of palm trees and other vegetation where they see – and smell – plastic burning.
Foo, a breast cancer survivor, said she is particularly worried about the health impacts from the smoke. They cannot even open their windows.
Fang said her son had developed nose bleeds soon after they moved into the area.
“We want our life back,” added Fang. “We want our normal life. It’s like we just want fresh air. If we cannot have the right to get fresh air, what is our human right?”
Malaysia’s Environment Ministry did not respond to media requests.
The Malaysian government, however, has pledged to address waste trafficking at the regional and global levels in its capacity as the ASEAN chair this year.
In January, Deputy Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry Liew Chin Tong said it was also crucial that the source countries, especially Europe and North America, took leadership in curbing waste trafficking at the source.
Liew said there would also be more work locally to ensure producers are accountable for managing their waste.
A pile of scrap plastic that came from a paper mill at an illegal dumpsite in East Java. Photo by Michael Neilson.
A Push for Better Global Rules
Wong said there needed to be better global rules so the plastic problem was not simply shifted around. She pointed to the recent global negotiations in December for a global plastics treaty, where environmental groups had pushed for stricter regulation on the plastic waste trade.
“There was no treaty agreed then, but thankfully many countries came together and said that they want a strong plastic treaty,” Wong said.
Jan Dell, an engineer and founder of the environmental nonprofit The Last Beach Cleanup, said the proposed bans were promising but there was a fear exporters would simply shift to countries with less strict regulations and even alter export codes.
The latest data showed plastic scrap exports to Indonesia dipped from about 30,000 tonnes a month in October to under 15,000 tonnes in November – the complete data for December and January is not yet available.
There was no dip, however, for Malaysia, which averages between 50,000 to 60,000 tonnes of plastic waste imports a month – the vast majority, nearly 30,000 tonnes, coming from Europe
Dell said this put the onus on exporter countries also to take action: “The goal is to close the door country by country. Countries just have to stop exporting their trash.”
Just one of many items of plastic found at an illegal dumpsite. This one, a plastic package of apple puree, appears to have been sold in France under the Lidl brand. Photo by Michael Neilson.
Europe has pledged to introduce a ban on plastic waste exports to non-OECD countries from mid- 2026 to prevent these materials from going to countries that cannot properly treat them.
Dell said while this was positive, it highlighted the “hypocrisy” as Europe was still exporting plastic waste. Europe had actually increased export volumes over the past few years, from just over 40,000 tonnes a month in 2022 to an average of over 60,000 tonnes a month in 2024 – some months over 70,000.
“The EU is the worst,” said Dell. “It’s even worse because they know recycling doesn’t work, recycling plants are closing [in Europe] because of the environmental impact and the costs.”
The European Commission didn’t respond to a request for comment.
Jim Puckett, executive director of the environmental organization Basel Action Network, said the effectiveness of Indonesia’s ban will largely depend on enforcement. Despite official restrictions, he explained, waste traders are actively finding ways to circumvent regulations.
One of the key tactics used by waste exporters to bypass regulations is mislabeling their shipments. This method allows waste shipments to avoid being classified as hazardous or controlled waste under the Basel Convention.
Puckett’s research team has been analyzing global trade data and tracking how traders falsely declare plastic waste to avoid scrutiny. “A lot of misdeclared shipments are being sent as ‘plastic pellets’ or other commodity tariff codes instead of being labeled as waste,” he said.
This deliberate mischaracterization creates significant challenges for authorities attempting to regulate the global waste trade.
Puckett and his team are monitoring waste shipments in real time, tracking suspected illegal exports as they move toward ports in Indonesia and Malaysia.
“Very soon we’re going to be sending them alerts about plastic waste shipments … We’ll see how serious they are about tackling this because these are going to be highly likely to be contraband,” he said.