A woman stands amid a huge pile of used plastic bottles at a plastics recycling mill in Wuhan, China. Getty Images
OCTOBER 6th, 2018
By Patryk Krych | The World Daily
China’s Plastic Waste Shipment Ban Induces US to Ship to Poorer Countries
New research has revealed that China’s foreign waste imports ban/restriction have led the US redirecting all their waste shipments to poorer, developing countries in SouthEast Asia. In the previous year of 2017, over 70% of all US plastic waste exports were sent to China.
According to Greenpeace’s investigators, ‘Unearthed’, during the first six months of this year; 2018, nearly half of all the US’s plastic exports were sent to such countries as Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia. China had been, previously, the world’s number 1 importer of plastic waste before the ban, leaving not only the US, but also many other Western countries searching for other solutions.
John Hocevar, Oceans campaign director for Greenpeace had stated that “Instead of taking responsibility for their own waste, US companies are exploiting developing countries that lack the regulation to protect themselves.”
Unearthed’s results were certainly thought-provoking, as it encouraged many campaigners and activists to call out the US for exploiting developing countries this way, promising them non-too-generous payment in exchange for this transaction, and where there are no regulations, nor capabilities of getting rid of the waste safely.
Hocevar continued on, mentioning that the majority of the shipped plastics include plastic bottles, shopping bags, food wrappings/coverings, and many other such toxic plastic-related materials. China’s decision to ban such imports has truly shown a spotlight on the world’s plastic recycling issues. With proper, environmentally healthy methods of getting rid of plastic materials being far more expensive than simply exporting them, most Western countries are guilty of following the US’s example, though in significantly smaller amounts, “We are producing an enormous amount of plastic material that we don’t know how to handle,” he continued.
According to the data discovered by Unearthed via the US census bureau; US plastic exports of the first half of the year of 2018 have dropped from 949,789 metric tonnes to 666,780; meaning by approximately a third in total, with Hocevar adding; “The average person, when they put a piece of plastic in a recycling bin, they assume it is being recycled, not being shipped to China or now to SouthEast Asia, where it will possibly be incinerated or landfilled.”
“It’s a problem for the US and other developed countries to produce, often, toxic material which they can’t or won’t take care of themselves.”
Whilst the exports to China may have decreased, the exports to Vietnam have been 71,220 metric tonnes, to Thailand have been 91,505 metric tonnes, and at last, to Malaysia; have been the largest: 157,299 metric tonnes. Reports have shown that the countries are struggling with the excess of waste, however, with the increased imported plastics that are taking too long to process.
An associate professor at the University of Ontario in the faculty of energy systems and nuclear science; Daniel Hoornweg, made a few statements about the situation, saying; “It does come across as opportunistic. My guess is over time, those countries will crack down on imports and processing waste.”
“What is interesting is that the stuff that the US is sending as recycled plastic ends up being sent back to the US and sold in plastic toys in supermarkets.”
“Canadians, Americans and Europeans need to realise it is an issue that is bigger than saying no to a plastic bag at the checkout. This requires a fundamental overhaul of our economy.”
The situation is thought to have been especially dire with the death of a pilot whale back in June, in the country of Thailand. The whale had been discovered dead with over 80 plastic bags inside its stomach, which brought major attention to the dangers of plastics making their way into oceans and waterways. As a result of similar issues, Vietnam had temporarily banned plastic imports after their ports were backed up in May.
By Patryk Krych | The World Daily
©2018 THE WORLD DAILY
