Summary
- Indonesia has become the primary recipient of Australia’s exported plastic waste, adding to more than 7 million tonnes of domestic plastic waste generated each year.
- A significant proportion of this waste is openly burned or poorly managed, releasing toxic pollutants linked to respiratory disease, cardiovascular stress, adverse pregnancy outcomes and elevated cancer risk—firmly placing plastic waste as an emerging public health threat and not just an environmental issue.
- Community-driven, multisectoral interventions targeted towards addressing this issue demonstrate local capacity to mitigate the harmful impacts of plastic waste; however, the potential efficacy of such interventions is undercut by the continued influx of international waste imports.
- Recognising plastics as a regional issue and integrating plastic waste management into Comprehensive Strategic Partnerships (CSP), such as the recently signed Australia–Indonesia CSP, could enhance regional environmental security, reduce health risks and support pan-national achievement of sustainable development objectives and health protection goals.
The global escalation of plastic waste has reached a critical level, with plastic use projected to nearly triple from 460 million tonnes (Mt) in 2019 to 1231 Mt by 2060, and environmental leakage expected to double to 44 Mt annually. This trajectory poses serious ecological and public health risks, particularly as emerging evidence shows that microplastics can cross the placental barrier, exposing fetuses to contamination even before birth. From the moment infants are born they inhale air already contaminated with hazardous plastic-derived pollutants which accumulate over time across the life course, exacerbating the risks of several health concerns including respiratory disease and infection, cardiovascular disease, infertility and cancer. We’re setting our children up to suffer and they deserve better.
Indonesia has become a dumping ground for the world’s plastic waste
Indonesia faces an increasingly severe waste management crisis, receiving more than 200 000 tonnes of imported waste, effectively positioning the country as a new dumping ground for plastic waste from Australia, the USA and several European nations. In 2024, more than 25 Mt of waste remain unmanaged in 2024. Evidence indicates that much of the imported material ultimately enters the Indonesian environment, where it is either openly burned or routed to informal burning facilities as an energy source for cooking and small-scale household industries, resulting in acute and potentially dangerous exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2·5), airborne particles with an aerodynamic diameter of 2·5 µm or less that penetrate deep into the lungs, while even smaller plastic-derived particles can infiltrate the bloodstream, thereby amplifying health and environmental risks.
Against this backdrop of environmental exposure, emerging evidence suggests that community perceptions of plastic burning are shaped less by abstract environmental concerns and more by everyday trade-offs between perceived risks and immediate practical needs. Participants in our research programme conducted across six villages in Malang Regency, East Java frequently acknowledged visible pollution and short-term associated symptoms such as throat irritation or coughing during and immediately after a burning event, indicating an awareness that burning plastic can be harmful. However, these issues were often viewed as short-lived and relatively unimportant when weighed against the necessity to manage plastic waste efficiently in the absence of viable alternative waste management methods.
These intersecting environmental exposures and social practices carry significant public health implications. Chronic exposure to pollutants released during plastic combustion is associated with increased risks of respiratory disease, certain cancers, cardiovascular dysfunction, impaired lung development in children and adverse pregnancy outcomes. Vulnerable populations—including children, older adults and individuals with pre-existing health conditions—face disproportionate risks. Routine exposure in affected communities represents a cumulative health burden. Beyond direct physiological effects, pollution-related illness can exacerbate socioeconomic vulnerability through lost productivity and increased healthcare expenditures, placing further strain on those least able to manage it. Taken together, these effects underscore that mitigating plastic waste burning is not only an environmental priority, but also a critical public health concern and a matter of social justice and equity.
SOURCE: BMJ Global Health, by Sekar Aqila Salsabilla, Andy Fefta Wijaya, Fadillah Amin, Sujarwoto Sujarwoto, Laura Downey. BMJ Global Health Commentary. 10 August 2026. Open access.