Cambodia to return 1,600 tonnes of waste to US, Canada

Cambodia will send back 1,600 tonnes of plastic waste found in shipping containers to the US and Canada, an official said yesterday, as Southeast Asian countries revolt against an onslaught of rubbish shipments. China’s decision to ban foreign plastic waste imports last year threw global recycling into chaos, leaving developed nations struggling to find countries to send their trash.Huge quantities of rubbish have wound up on Southeast Asian shores as opposition to handling exported trash is growing in the region. Indonesia announced this month it was sending back dozens of containers full of waste to France and other developed nations, while neighbouring Malaysia said in May it was shipping 450 tonnes of imported plastic waste back to its sources.