Milestone for Campaign to Stop New Zealand Sending Plastic Waste to Malaysia

Lydia Chai, a Malaysian lawyer based in Auckland, has been campaigning for New Zealand to stop sending plastic waste to Malaysia and other developing countries.

Her campaign garnered a lot of media interest, including comments by then Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. 11,500 people signed Chai’s petition.

On Thursday 8 June 2023 at 6:40am Malaysian time, Chai will be facing off against industry groups in the New Zealand Parliament. She will argue for a ban on all plastic waste exports during oral submissions to the Environment Committee (Environment Select Committee). Plastic and waste industry groups will also attend to oppose Chai’s petition.

It is not news to us Malaysians that our people are still suffering from waste getting illegally burned and dumped in their neighbourhoods. Malaysian politicians have supported Chai, confirming that they do not have the manpower to monitor the factories and enforce the laws. These first-hand accounts are documented in Chai’s written evidence to Parliament (link to the PDF).

The oral submissions will be livestreamed on the Environment Select Committee Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/environmentSCNZ) at 6:40am on Thursday 8 June 2023. Please tune in to show your support. If you miss the livestream, it will remain on that Facebook Page for you to watch later.

Tune in on 8th June, 0640am MYT.

Click here to view “NZ’s Plastic Waste Problem”- Lydia Chai on TVNZ’s Breakfast Show: