China, the Largest Importer of Trash, Refused to Continue to Be the Major Dumping Land

For decades, China was the world's largest importer of waste. However, Beijing imposed a ban of 24 types of scraps into the border, effective January 2018.

Before the restriction, China acted as a dumping ground for more than 50 percent of the world’s trash. At its peak, China imported 9 million tons of plastic waste in 2012 (Greenpeace). A recent study published on June 20th in the journal Science Advances found China has taken more than 116 million tons (105 million metric tons) of trash since 1992, the equivalent of the weight of more than 300 Empire State Buildings.

The ban becomes a milestone for environmental activists, which view the ban both as a milestone of the green movement in China and an enforcement for other countries to manage their own trash.

After the ban, waste management becomes a severe environmental problem. Scientists found that other nations might need to find a place for more than 122 million tons of plastic by 2030. The European Union says it is eyeing environmental taxes on plastics usage. The United Kingdom is thinking to move some trash to Southeast Asia. The United States of America asked China to lift the ban.

To read more, please visit:

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-eu-environment/eu-targets-recycling-as-china-bans-plastic-waste-imports-idUSKBN1F51SP

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/04/16/climate-change-china-bans-import-of-foreign-waste-to-stop-pollution.html

https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/study-plastic-pile-wake-china-recycling-ban-56036809