Following ASEAN countries, Indonesia returns waste to the US

Over the weekend, Indonesia followed in the footsteps of Southeast Asian nations such as Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam, returning a large amount of imported waste to Western countries.

Garbage containers being returned. Photo: NAWACITA

Indonesian authorities said the five containers of waste they returned to the United States were filled with plastic bottles and diapers, instead of containing only recycled paper as declared by customs. Indonesia’s Environment and Forestry Minister Sayid Muhadhar said the country had sealed all the containers of waste imported from North America and Europe to test the waste samples and declared that Indonesia “is not a dumping ground.”

Indonesia is the next country after Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam to join the fight against waste from the West.

Last year, Vietnam suspended new waste import permits, while Thailand banned the import of plastic waste. Last month, the Philippines returned 69 containers of trash to Canada after a long diplomatic row between the two countries over waste. Most recently, Malaysia announced it would send hundreds of tons of waste back to where it came from.

The wave of returning imported waste arose after China closed its doors to waste, causing Western countries lacking the capacity to recycle waste to flock to the new market in Southeast Asia./.