Plastic recycling’s dirty secrets

An estimated five million tonnes of plastic waste is exported each year, with the majority coming from 10 high-income countries.

Malaysia has become a global hub for plastic waste imports and recycling. But how clean and safe is the recycling trade and how much plastic can actually be recycled?

For Assignment, Leana Hosea travels to Malaysia to meet those who are risking their lives to stem the tide of foreign plastic waste. She tracks unfolding research into microplastics and people’s health, and gains access inside recycling factories to reveal the dirty truth behind the trade.

Presented and produced by Leana Hosea
Mixed by Neil Churchill
Production coordinator: Gemma Ashman
Series editor: Penny Murphy

(Image: Mishan suffers from severe asthma, which he blames on the burning of plastic waste. Credit: Leana Hosea/BBC).