Why is scrap plastic in short supply in Malaysia

As one of the major plastic manufacturing countries in Southeast Asia, Malaysia exports nearly half of its output to many countries around the world such as the EU, Asia, and the Middle East.

Why is there a shortage of waste plastics in Malaysia?

The total output value reaches 2.4 billion RMB

In the first half of 2018, the total output value of the Malaysian plastics industry reached 1.465 billion ringgits (about 2.427 billion yuan), and exports reached 760 million ringgits (about 1.17 billion yuan), accounting for about 48% of the total output.

The main products exported are primary plastics, plastic containers, plastic trays, films, plastic sheets, plastic foils, plastic strips and other plastic products. Therefore, Malaysia also has a high demand for waste plastics.

It is understood that the price of one ton of waste plastic imported from abroad is only one-third of the price of imported plastic raw materials, and the processing cost is only one-half of the raw materials used.

Malaysian Plastics Manufacturers Association Vice President Xie Shijun told the Financial Times: "Any business conduct has two sides. For the Malaysian plastics industry, the supply of waste plastics is in short supply. A medium-sized plastic processing plant can digest more than 20,000 tons of waste every year. Plastics, there are currently more than 100 waste plastic processing plants in our country. "

He also said, "Malaysia ’s plastic product quality is among the best in the world because we strictly produce in accordance with international standards. In order to meet the huge market demand, we will also import plastic particles from other countries, but from a cost-saving perspective Consider that a comprehensive ban on the import of waste plastics will indeed have a negative impact on plastics processing companies. "

However, the imported waste plastics do cause a lot of pollution to Malaysia ’s environment, especially the water used for cleaning during the recycling of waste plastics has a great impact on the environment. In recent years, the Malaysian government has also vigorously rectified and restricted overseas In the waste plastics import and waste plastics processing markets, the issuance of waste plastics import approval licenses is strictly controlled.

In fact, Malaysia does not completely prohibit the import of waste plastic waste, but prohibits mixed waste plastics, because even if they are processed into plastic particles, the quality is also very poor, and the foreign waste that cannot be processed can only go to the road to landfill , Has a great impact on the environment.

Many waste plastic processing plants in Malaysia are equipped with sewage treatment equipment. The filtered sewage is not only non-toxic, but also can be used for fish farming. This not only shoulders social responsibility but also ensures the economic benefits of the enterprise. .