Britain's exports of plastic waste to developing countries have risen by 84% in the first half of 2025 compared with the same period in 2024, according to an analysis of trade data. The increase, mostly to Malaysia and Indonesia, has been condemned by campaigners as 'unethical and irresponsible waste imperialism'.
The data, analysed by the US-based group The Last Beach Cleanup, shows that UK plastic waste exports to Indonesia jumped from 525 tonnes in the first half of 2024 to 24,006 tonnes in the first half of 2025. Exports to Malaysia rose from 18,872 tonnes to 28,667 tonnes over the same period. Total plastic waste exports remained relatively stable at around 319,000 tonnes in 2024 and 318,000 tonnes in 2025, but the proportion going directly to non-OECD countries doubled from 11% to 20%.
Campaigners are calling on the UK to follow the European Union, which agreed in 2023 to ban exports of waste to poorer nations outside the OECD. The EU ban comes into force in November 2026. The UK has no similar ban, despite a 2023 Conservative government pledge to introduce one. Jan Dell of The Last Beach Cleanup accused UK ministers of hypocrisy, saying the country is 'refusing to set a date to stop exporting to poorer countries'.
Experts warn that the true scale of UK plastic waste exports to Asia may be underestimated, as some waste is shipped via the Netherlands and other European countries. Turkey is also a major destination. An investigation earlier this month revealed that two people per month have been crushed, ripped, or burned to death in Turkey's recycling sector over the past decade.
James McLeary, managing director of UK recycling firm Biffa Polymers, said the UK should take responsibility for its own waste. 'I don't want my rubbish to end up in Malaysia,' he said. 'I don't want to wonder if there is a boy whose life is wasted somewhere because of me throwing something in a bin outside my house.'
