TIP CLOSED

In January, China banned imports of virtually all plastics and unsorted paper and most cardboard. It plans to phase in bans on most other rubbish imports.

Before the ban, more than half of the world’s used plastic, paper and cardboard – around 32 million tonnes a year – was shipped to China, mainly from rich countries. It recycled 85% of the 7 million tonnes of plastic it imported in 2016; the rest went to landfills or was incinerated.

Most of New Zealand’s recyclable plastic waste was sent there – the amount has dropped from 10,494 tonnes in 2016 to 492 tonnes this year. Some recyclables are now being shipped to Malaysia and Indonesia.

Before implementing its “National Sword” policy, China’s $24 billion of recycled imports were a quarter of the total traded globally, up from $12 billion a decade earlier.

1 &3. A Chinese labourer sorts bags of plastic bottles for recycling outside Beijing. 2. Plastic bottles are recycled into carpets and fabrics in Shandong province. 4. Textiles made from waste plastic. 1 2 3 4