Port Klang

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Malaysia has not had any plastic to one of The World 's largest importers, with the want to waste the rest of The World . But a Small Town , to pay The Price for this and it is now nipped in and around 17,000 tonnes of waste.

It began Last Summer . Every night, after The Clock struck midnight, Daniel Tay knew exactly what comes to you.

He would lock his doors, sealing his Windows and waiting for The Inevitable . Soon his room filled with an acrid smell, as the rubber is burned. Coughing, his lungs would tighten.

in the course of the next few months That would return strange smell, every night, Like Clockwork .

It was only later That he is The Source of the odor of illegal recycling factories That were secretly Burning plastic. to go

Nowhere Else , The city of Jenjarum waste is now a Synonym for plastic-To this point he had no idea That in the year 2017 in China had decided to ban the import of foreign plastic waste. This year alone it had taken in seven million tons of plastic, scrap metal and many of the environmental a victory for conservationists as it is, if China clamped.

But with nowhere to go, But the majority of the plastic trash - Most of them from the UK, the USA and Japan - just went somewhere else and That was Malaysia .

It could have been any city, But Jenjarum proximity to the Port is the largest port and the entry point for Most of the country's plastic sound - Malaysia -imports - making it The Ideal location.

From January to July of 2018 alone, some was imported 754,000 tons of plastic waste, and Malaysia .

, What The Council describes as illegal plastic recycling factories began cropping up, hoping to make a quick profit from the burgeoning plastics recycling industry is worth over RM3bn ($734m, £561m).

According to the State Council , there'll soon be 33 illegal factories in Kuala were Langat district Jenjarum is located. Some jumped in the vicinity of dense palm-oil plantations, others were closer to the city.

But it would be months before the residents know of their existence - And Then only after the symptoms started.

'Slowly poisoned" "The smells began a while ago, But have really said a bad August this year," Mr Tay. to feel

"I began to be uncomfortable, and I would always cough. I was really angry when I realized it was because of the factories. "

Daniel Tay says he is angry at the damage caused to the factories, plastic waste will be recovered in General, to pellets, which can then be used to manufacture other types of plastic.

Not all plastic can be recycled, so That the statutory recycling facilities to send unrecyclable plastics waste centres - Something That costs money.

But many of The Illegal Recycling to dispose of assets instead of select for free, But unhygienic ways, either buried or more likely to burn.

Ngoo Kwi-Hong, says the exhaust gases from the combustion, it was a cough so violently also coughed up a blood clot.

"I couldn't sleep at night because it stinks so. I was like a zombie, I was so tired," said Ngoo.

"It was only later I found out, it's the factories to My House - North , South, East, West. "

Those who were affected lived next to the factories, Most of the.

Belle Tan, the found out it's an illegal factory was only 1km from their House , spoke of the effects on her 11-year-old son.

"He has a really bad rash around his belly, neck, legs and arms. His skin peeling would hold, also, when we are hurt touched him there. I was angry and afraid for his health, But what could I do? The smell was everywhere in the Air . "

Belle Tan says her son is the stomach has plagued the subject of skin rashes, It is unclear whether these complaints are said to be in direct connection with the Air pollution, But an expert, inhalation of burnt plastic smoke, probably had an impact on your respiratory health.

"The Most important thing is, [these plastic-smoke] is That they are carcinogenic. Carcinogens [the parties involved] in the development of cancer," Tong Yen Wah, a professor at the National University of Singapore (NUS)'s Department of chemical and Bio-molecular Engineering, told the BBC.

"It also depends a lot on the different types of plastics That are burned and the Exposure . If you short term Exposure to a high level, you could Breathing problems. [or] trigger some effects in the lungs. But if it is exposed to a longer period of time. this is where the carcinogenic effect. "

Click to see content: Trash_Malaysia_Jejarom But many in the city remain completely unaware or indifferent to the potential effects of the combustion.

"a Lot of people Here just want a simple life," said Mr Tay. "You just have to say, your smelly, and with your life do not come, you will understand That it is Something That could be slowly poisoned. "

The BBC spoke to several residents, many of whom said they had smelled the smoke, But had not really thought about it.

"you have to smell it and her body was joking get used to it", a resident. "Maybe it could be good For You . "

A temporary landfill, The Malaysian Government has now shut down 33 factories hazards, it says, were illegal in Jenjarum, and for The Most part, the fumes are gone.

But the 17,000 tons of garbage left by these factories Still There - and not insignificant for a city of 30,000. Most of this waste was taken back by The Authorities , But a staggering 4,000 tons of waste plastic That sits still on a single page - anyone could go through.

A mountain of garbage welcomes you as soon as you arrive in what was once an unused piece of land, But is now a makeshift landfill.

A short walk around The Site shows That an astonishing amount of plastic garbage comes from abroad, scattered, it can be seen with a huge part of it from Japan and the UK-brands such as Asda, Co - op and Fairy.

Most of the plastic found on the landfill are used to identify of the major industrial Nations, "We, who is the owner of The Land , we are still investigating this," Minister of housing and Local Government Zuraida Kamaruddin told the BBC.

The condition That Jenjarum sits in Selangor has tried to auction off, But without success.

4,000 tons of waste sitting in a single-site "No One wants it because it's so contaminated," Yeo Bee Yin, Minister for energy, technology, science, the environment and Climate Change to be recognised.

Ms Yeo shows That there will be multiple options available - profitable, would be to send the waste to a cement plant That would burn plastic to produce heat for its boilers. But this solution would be high costs for the Government .

It is only a few meters away from a palm-tree plantation "[We estimate That ] costs around RM2. To transport 5m easy, bunch of [the facility]," Ms Yeo revealed. "[But we recognize That ] we have to get rid of the stack first. "

Of a city. But Jenjarum is a town in Malaysia - the problem of illegal plastic recycling does not end there.

"Many of these [illegal factory worker] rent The Land from the local Malaysian land owners and was very [basic] factories," Ng Sze Han, a member of the municipal Council of Selangor , told the BBC.

"When we [catch The Illegal factory workers], they just hit-and-Run - we will drive you Down There , you can move to another part of Malaysia . "

And it is no surprise to find That you are able to rent to a landowner so easy.

An abandoned recycling factory in Kuala Langat, A landowner, the BBC spoke to says he rents his land for RM50,000 (approximately $12,260, £9,500), a month, a Chinese AU pair. He says he was not aware of what they were doing, But was essentially just collecting rent. It is not an insignificant sum, if you know That the average monthly income for a Malaysian family in 2016 was RM5228.

Mr Ng reveals That he had also been calls by the officials in Johor and Negeri Sembilan - other States in Malaysia namely, illegal factories had begun to pop in your patches.

He says the problem of illegal plastic recycling is hardly to be solved effectively without a total ban on plastic.

But this is unlikely.

Ms Kamaruddin, said the Government had, initially as a ban of plastic, But "after we investigated, we realized there [was a lot] business potential for Malaysia ".

Instead, She Said , stricter rules plastic importers will be imposed - they will now have re-imposed criteria to gain before you are able to, a permit, approval (AP) for the import of plastic waste.

Only companies with an approved AP allows the import of plastic waste in Malaysia .

" If you grab it at The Source and customs control, well, I think it will be a lot effective in reducing," Ms Yeo added.

Decomposing waste sitting in the moss of water in an illegal plastic recycling factory, the rest of The World there is a bigger problem is covered Here - and what was revealed to Jenjarum, is That there is a huge flaw in the plastic recycling system.

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Source of news: bbc.com