Each year, the world's developed countries generate millions of tons of plastic waste. Much of that used to be exported to China for recycling. But - last year - China banned the practice. Now, the flow of plastic waste is being diverted to southeast Asia, where some officials say waste from unlicensed factories is polluting their farms and water sources. CGTN's Rian Maelzer visited one town in Malaysia to see for himself.  

Hidden in palm oil plantations and behind tall fences, dozens of unlicensed plastic recycling factories processing waste from countries such as the US, UK and New Zealand dot this quiet district an hour from Kuala Lumpur. Or they did, till worried residents got the authorities to shut down many of them.

The factories didn't have proper environmental controls for washing and processing the waste. Many dumped the un-recyclable scrap on agricultural land and near waters sources. Some have just been indiscriminately burning it.

TAN CHEN HIN KUALA LANGAT ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION ASSN. "Our village has become the victim of this incineration. With the pungent smell of burning in their noses, the villagers find it very difficult to sleep at night. People are more and more worried about how these factories threaten their health, especially their children."

RIAN MAELZER SELANGOR, MALAYSIA "As the authorities crack down on illegal factories in one area, indications are that many are just upping and moving to other areas under less scrutiny."

Malaysia and other Southeast Asian countries seem to be becoming a favoured destination - or dumping ground -- for the developing world's unwanted plastic waste after China shut its doors.

CHARLES SANTIAGO RULING COALITION MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT "Companies need to remove the waste from their countries to countries where the policies are more easy to manipulate, where the regulation is less stiff and where enforcement is very weak and I think this is a problem that a developing country like Malaysia faces."

Drones enabled the people of this district to document the extent of the problem and pressure the authorities to act. Malaysia's government says it will now ban the importation of all non-recyclable foreign plastic scrap, though many remain skeptical that the country will never again see any sights like these. RM CGTN Selangor, Malaysia.