Who is now the worlds largest importer of plastic scrap?

China solid waste

Born in 1977, Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman is part of the generation that transits between the Generation X and Generation Y (millennial) cohorts, familiar with plastic and electronics to the point of not conceiving a reality without these products, without the Internet and without the smartphone.

The major cities on the West Coast of the United States, from Seattle to San Diego, lead the U.S. recycling map, although this cross-cutting civic gesture becomes little more than a symbolic act given the federal government’s position on environmental protection, to which is now added the impossibility of treating recycled waste.

The United States has abandoned climate agreements while meteorologists wonder about the virulence and frequency of storms in the Caribbean or apparently unrelated phenomena such as the size of the fires in California and a warm temperature for December, in line with the changes observed in the Arctic ice and seasonal phenomena in North America.

How to recycle in china

EnvironmentTransporting plastic waste to poor countries will be more difficult from now onMore than 180 countries have agreed to include plastic in a treaty governing the export of hazardous waste.By Laura ParkerPublished 13 May 2019 11:01 CESTPlastic packages to be recycled in Dhaka, Bangladesh.Photo by Randy Olson, Nat Geo Image CollectionFrom now on, rich countries will find it more difficult to transport their plastic waste to poor countries. On May 10, more than 180 countries agreed in Geneva to include mixed plastic debris to the Basel Convention, the treaty governing the international movement of hazardous waste.

David Azoulay of the Center for International Environmental Law, a research and advocacy group, said in an interview that the action “shows what ambitious international leadership looks like.”

As a result of such a shift, other Southeast Asian countries, such as Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam and Indonesia, have quickly been overwhelmed by shipments of waste that they did not have the capacity to handle. Several countries have taken steps to stop shipments at their ports. In the West, plastic waste piled up at docks in San Francisco, the United Kingdom and other European countries as garbage exporters looked for new buyers.

Recycling policies in China

Since January 1, China has put the global waste recovery sector in check as it has banned 24 categories of solid waste, including some plastics, paper and textiles, from entering its territory. The new rules allow only “very high quality waste” to enter the country.

Since the 1980s, China has become the world’s largest importer of waste. In 2012, up to 56% of globally exported plastic waste ended up in China. Imported plastic waste peaked at nearly 9 million tons in 2012. Its big supplier is the United States, the world’s largest exporter of waste, $5.6 billion was exported in 2016 alone. The European Union is not far behind: more than 50% of its waste exports went to China in 2016.

China will now only receive well separated and packaged waste.  A sterile limit, i.e. impurities, of 0.3% would be required to accept foreign waste. This is something that international waste recyclers have considered an “effective ban” because the thresholds are very difficult to meet – the current limit of 1.5% will be lowered to 0.3% in just four months. The ban affects 24 materials including paper, cardboard, plastic, textiles, ferrous and non-ferrous metals.

Environmental problems in China 2020

Since January 1, the Asian giant has put the global waste recovery sector in check as it has banned 24 categories of solid waste, including some plastics, paper and textiles, from entering its territory. The new rules only allow the entry of “very high quality waste”. Meanwhile, in the USA and the EU, new destinations for waste such as Turkey are already being considered.

China will now only take in well separated and packaged waste.  A sterile limit of 0.3%, i.e. impurities, would be required for the acceptance of foreign waste. This is something that international waste recyclers have considered an “effective ban” because the thresholds are very difficult to meet – the current limit of 1.5% will be lowered to 0.3% in just four months. The ban affects 24 materials including paper, cardboard, plastic, textiles, ferrous and non-ferrous metals.

As a control measure, the Chinese government reported that 60 teams have been created within the Ministry of the Environment to inspect and review all companies importing waste and scrap.