How plastic-contaminated paper waste was tracked from California to Malaysia.
Source: The Last Beach Cleanup and Basel Action Network’s Contaminated Paper Waste Fact Briefing report.
Start
The journey started here — Ramona, San Diego County, California
Click on the folder icons below to follow the journey.
Plastic food trays
Polystyrene foam cups
Case 1: How plastic trays from California ended up in a paper mill in Malaysia
Click the number below for details.
Tracker setup
Curbside recycling
Transfer & sorting facility
Export port
Arrival at Malaysian paper mill
Final location: Nearby dump site
Case 2: How polystyrene cups from California ended up in a paper mill in Malaysia
Click the number below for details.
Tracker setup
Curbside recycling
Transfer & sorting facility
Arrival at Malaysian paper mill
Final location: Unknown
November 4, 2024
- The EPS foam cups pinged at a recovery and sorting facility in Escondido, California. - The facility accepts a variety of household wastes ,including mixed paper and cardboard.
October 16,2024
- A tracker was glued between two black plastic (PP5) food trays. - A skunk icon was used to identify the tracker.
Note: PP5 food trays are accepted for recycling by the local curbside waste company, which transfers the materials to another company. Since no US factories are willing to buy and recycle California's PP5 plastic, the tracker was deployed to identify where the PP5 food trays ended up.
October 16,2024
- A tracker was glued inside of a stack of six expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam cups. - A mushroom icon was used to identify the tracker.
Note: The EPS foam cups are accepted for recycling by the local curbside waste company, which transfers the materials to another company. Since no US factories are willing to buy and recycle California's PP5 plastic, the tracker was deployed to identify where the PP5 food trays ended up.
November 8, 2024
- The plastic food trays pinged at a recovery and sorting facility in Escondido, California. - The facility accepts variety of household wastes including mixed paper and cardboard.
October 23, 2024
- The EPS foam cups were placed in a curbside recycling bin in Ramona in San Diego County.
November 14, 2024
- The plastic food trays pinged at a Port of Los Angeles in San Pedro. - Los Angeles Port is a major port for exporting paper and plastic waste to Asia.
October 23, 2024
- The plastic food trays were placed in a household curbside recycling bin in Ramona in San Diego County.
November 7, 2024
- The plastic food trays pinged at a disposal transfer station in Ramona, San Diego County.
January 17, 2025
- The PP5 food trays pinged at a paper mill in Pahang. - It appears that the PP5 food trays were 'sorted' by the sorting centre in Escondido, California into household mixed paper or cardboard bales and exported to Malaysia.
Note: If the shipment was classified as Other Paper (HS470790), it would not comply with Malaysia’s import laws, as this paper waste category is banned.
April 29, 2025
- The PP5 food trays pinged at a dump site adjacent to the paper mill. - It is likely that the food trays were removed before processing and the paper mills did not attempt to recycle them as it would contaminate their paper pulping operation.
January 11, 2025
- The EPS foam cups pinged at a paper mill in Pahang. - It appears that the EPS foam cups were 'sorted' by the sorting centre in Escondido, California into household mixed paper or cardboard bales and exported to Malaysia.
Note: If the shipment was classified as Other Paper (HS470790), it would not comply with Malaysia’s import laws, as this paper waste category is banned.
- The EPS foam cups' final location is unknown, as the tracker stopped pinging at the paper mill in Bentong, Pahang. - The EPS foam cups are a contaminant in the paper pulping process and should not be recycled with paper. - Based on the fate of the PP5 food trays at the same site, the EPS foam cups may have been disposed of at the nearby dump site.
Where did it go?
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Transcript
Where did it go?
How plastic-contaminated paper waste was tracked from California to Malaysia.
Source: The Last Beach Cleanup and Basel Action Network’s Contaminated Paper Waste Fact Briefing report.
Start
The journey started here — Ramona, San Diego County, California
Click on the folder icons below to follow the journey.
Plastic food trays
Polystyrene foam cups
Case 1: How plastic trays from California ended up in a paper mill in Malaysia
Click the number below for details.
Tracker setup
Curbside recycling
Transfer & sorting facility
Export port
Arrival at Malaysian paper mill
Final location: Nearby dump site
Case 2: How polystyrene cups from California ended up in a paper mill in Malaysia
Click the number below for details.
Tracker setup
Curbside recycling
Transfer & sorting facility
Arrival at Malaysian paper mill
Final location: Unknown
November 4, 2024
- The EPS foam cups pinged at a recovery and sorting facility in Escondido, California. - The facility accepts a variety of household wastes ,including mixed paper and cardboard.
October 16,2024
- A tracker was glued between two black plastic (PP5) food trays. - A skunk icon was used to identify the tracker.
Note: PP5 food trays are accepted for recycling by the local curbside waste company, which transfers the materials to another company. Since no US factories are willing to buy and recycle California's PP5 plastic, the tracker was deployed to identify where the PP5 food trays ended up.
October 16,2024
- A tracker was glued inside of a stack of six expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam cups. - A mushroom icon was used to identify the tracker.
Note: The EPS foam cups are accepted for recycling by the local curbside waste company, which transfers the materials to another company. Since no US factories are willing to buy and recycle California's PP5 plastic, the tracker was deployed to identify where the PP5 food trays ended up.
November 8, 2024
- The plastic food trays pinged at a recovery and sorting facility in Escondido, California. - The facility accepts variety of household wastes including mixed paper and cardboard.
October 23, 2024
- The EPS foam cups were placed in a curbside recycling bin in Ramona in San Diego County.
November 14, 2024
- The plastic food trays pinged at a Port of Los Angeles in San Pedro. - Los Angeles Port is a major port for exporting paper and plastic waste to Asia.
October 23, 2024
- The plastic food trays were placed in a household curbside recycling bin in Ramona in San Diego County.
November 7, 2024
- The plastic food trays pinged at a disposal transfer station in Ramona, San Diego County.
January 17, 2025
- The PP5 food trays pinged at a paper mill in Pahang. - It appears that the PP5 food trays were 'sorted' by the sorting centre in Escondido, California into household mixed paper or cardboard bales and exported to Malaysia.
Note: If the shipment was classified as Other Paper (HS470790), it would not comply with Malaysia’s import laws, as this paper waste category is banned.
April 29, 2025
- The PP5 food trays pinged at a dump site adjacent to the paper mill. - It is likely that the food trays were removed before processing and the paper mills did not attempt to recycle them as it would contaminate their paper pulping operation.
January 11, 2025
- The EPS foam cups pinged at a paper mill in Pahang. - It appears that the EPS foam cups were 'sorted' by the sorting centre in Escondido, California into household mixed paper or cardboard bales and exported to Malaysia.
Note: If the shipment was classified as Other Paper (HS470790), it would not comply with Malaysia’s import laws, as this paper waste category is banned.
- The EPS foam cups' final location is unknown, as the tracker stopped pinging at the paper mill in Bentong, Pahang. - The EPS foam cups are a contaminant in the paper pulping process and should not be recycled with paper. - Based on the fate of the PP5 food trays at the same site, the EPS foam cups may have been disposed of at the nearby dump site.