FOI request details

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Request

Subject: Plastic waste shipped to Asia

Reference: WBC-FOI-00422

Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, I am writing to request information from your organisation about any plastic waste that has been shipped to Asia.

Specifically, I am requesting the following information:

- The total amount of plastic waste shipped to Asia from your organisation over the past five years, organised by year (e.g. 10 tonnes in 2019, 20 tonnes in 2020)?

- The countries that the plastic waste was shipped to?

Response

Full Disclosure - 30 January 2023

- The total amount of plastic waste shipped to Asia from your organisation over the past five years, organised by year (e.g. 10 tonnes in 2019, 20 tonnes in 2020)?

Zero.

Wandsworth Council delivers all waste it collects for recycling to the Western Riverside Waste Authority (WRWA, excl. food waste from recycling trials). Information about where WRWA send these materials incl. various types of plastics is available here: https://wrwa.gov.uk/news/where-does-my-mixed-recycling-go/.

Whilst there was some media coverage c. 5 years ago reporting on Wandsworth's recycling sacks being found in Malaysia, it is easy to get hold of these sacks and misuse them for other purposes and there was no evidence that these had ever been collected by the Council.

- The countries that the plastic waste was shipped to?

Plastic bottles: Not shipped abroad

Plastic pots, tubs and trays: Not shipped abroad

'Sturdy plastics' (trigger spray, other plastic containers): Germany

Clear recycling sacks: Turkey

Please note that our responses were accurate to the best of our knowledge at the time of release, and have not subsequently been updated. This information should be considered an historical record only.