SCRAMBLE TO FIND NEW DUMPING SITES
China’s ban on imports of 24 categories of solid waste leaves firms from Europe to the US looking at India, Pakistan, S-E Asia
BEIJING
FOR years China was the world’s top destination for recyclable trash, but a ban on certain imports has left nations scrambling to find new dumping grounds for growing piles of garbage.
The decision was announced in July and came into force on January 1, giving companies from Europe to the United States barely six months to look for other options, and forcing some to store rubbish in parking lots.
In China, some recycling firms have had to lay off staff or shut down due to the lost business.
The ban bars imports of 24 categories of solid waste, including certain types of plastics, paper and textiles.
“Large amounts of dirty or even hazardous wastes are mixed in the solid waste that can be used as raw materials. This polluted China’s environment seriously,” said the environment ministry in a notice to the World Trade Organisation.
In 2015 alone, the Asian giant bought 49.6 million tonnes of rubbish, according to the latest government figures.
The European Union exports half of its collected and sorted plastics, of which 85 per cent goes to China. Ireland alone exported 95 per cent of its plastic waste to China in 2016.
That same year, the United States shipped more than 16 million tonnes of scrap commodities to China worth more than US$5.2 billion (RM20.8 billion).
The ban had been like an “earthquake” for countries dependent on China, said Arnaud Brunet, head of the Bureau of International Recycling.
Global plastic exports to China could sink from 7.4 million tonnes in 2016 to 1.5 million tonnes this year, while paper exports may tumble nearly a quarter.
Some countries are now looking at emerging markets elsewhere such as India, Pakistan or Southeast Asia, but it could be more expensive than shipping waste to China. AFP