YES, PLASTIC RECYCLING WORKS — HERE'S THE FULL PICTURE

PETALING JAYA, Selangor, May 14 (Bernama) -- We refer to the recent article titled "Recycling Plastic Does Not Work" (The Star, 11 May 2025) by Mangai Balasegaram. While we appreciate the growing concern around plastic pollution, we are compelled to respond to several inaccuracies and generalisations that risk misleading the public about both the plastic industry and the role of recycling in building a sustainable future.

The title itself — “Recycling plastic does not work” — is a sweeping and inaccurate statement that disregards progress, innovation, and the evolving science and infrastructure of plastic recycling. Malaysia has some of the largest and most advanced recycling operations in Southeast Asia, processing both locally sourced and imported industrial-grade plastic scrap into high-quality raw materials and supplying to global brands and companies across multiple sectors. Commonly used plastics such as PET (Type 1), HDPE (Type 2), and PP (Type 5) are being successfully recycled in the country through mechanical recycling. PETRONAS Chemicals Group Berhad’s advanced chemical recycling plant, expected to be operational by first half of 2026, will enable previously hard-to-recycle plastics to be transformed into new materials, giving them a second life through chemical recycling, further growing the local plastic recycling sector.