The owner of a commercial waste plant has lifted the lid on Australia's great recycling con, revealing most of the country's reusable plastic ends up at local rubbish tips - or shipped to 'dumping grounds' in south-east Asia.
Haydn Brehemy owns Melbourne's Cardboard Collection Service and admits that he doesn't know what to do about the worrying trend, which began to emerge after China shut its doors to Australia's plastic waste last year.
With India following suit - and several other Asian countries looking to enforce similar crackdowns - products are increasingly being shipped to Malaysia.
Haydn Brehemy owns Melbourne's Cardboard Collection Service and admits that he doesn't know what to do about the worrying trend
Mr Brehemy said the products which arrive at his warehouse often end up in the local tip if they can't be sold to a dwindling Asian market.
'Just because we put (plastic) in the bin, shut the lid and put it out the front doesn't mean it gets recycled,' Breheny told 60 Minutes.
'This isn't sexy business mate, it's rubbish... The plastic is a pain in the a***. I put my hand up every time I see it.
'But if I can't get rid of it, what am I meant to do? Eat it myself?'
But he's not the only one who is fed up with Australia's failed waste system.
Locals in Malaysia, who are struggling to keep up with the demand of our wastage after China stopped accepting our waste in January last year, also expressed his anger
Locals in Malaysia, who are struggling to keep up with the demand of our wastage, also expressed their anger.
'We are being treated like a toilet,' one said.
'Please help us by not sending your rubbish to our country.'
It comes as Australia sent over 71,000 tons of plastic waste to the developing country over just 12 months.
Australia sent over 71,000 tons of plastic waste to the developing country, over just 12 months
Despite some Malays being happy to accept the waste, most of the factories, usually located just outside of Malaysia's capital city of Kuala Lumpur, are illegal and dangerous.
Malaysian Environment Minister, Yeo Bee Yin, admitted that the influx of Australian waste to her country is becoming a challenge.
She said that because of the raising demand of Australia's wastage, she's had to shut down 150 illegal factories since July, 2018.
'I do not blame Australia... I think that most people do not know that this is happening,' she revealed.
'We need a solution.'
Malaysian Environment Minister, Yeo Bee Yin, admitted that the influx of Australian waste to her country is becoming a challenge
Waste and recycling organisations have called for an urgent government investment into infrastructure for the industry so plastic waste can be reprocessed on home soil instead of being stockpiled in warehouses or dumped overseas.
'I think most people in Australia feel lied to, I think they feel disappointed,' Plastic Forests founder David Hodge told the program.
'We haven't built the infrastructure. We haven't thought ahead. Now we're here and we're drowning in plastic.'
