Now that plastic pollution is at an all time high and affecting our oceans and biodiversity, scientists and researchers are constantly trying to put a number on the effect of plastic waste and thereby create sustainable new methods to help manage plastic waste. Most think that recycling is a great way to combat plastic pollution and decrease the ever increasing amount of plastic waste, most of the plastic waste that is supposed to be recycled is sent to other countries from high income countries. China seems to be at the top of this list. In 2017, China decided to permanently ban the import of non-industrial plastic waste. A study done by the University of Georgia decided to calculate the global impact the law has had, and how it might affect other countries and their plastic waste production.
The study was published recently in the journal Science Advances and reports that the global plastic export and import numbers have been at an all time high- showing a growth of about 800% between 1993 and 2016. “We know from our previous studies that only 9 percent of all plastic ever produced has been recycled, and the majority of it ends up in landfills or the natural environment”, said Jenna Jambeck, co-author of the study and associate professor at the University of Georgia. “About 111 million metric tons of plastic waste is going to be displaced because of the import ban through 2030, so we’re going to have to develop more robust recycling programs domestically and rethink the use and design of plastic products if we want to deal with this waste responsibly.”
Since the year 1992- when scientists officially started collecting data, China has allowed about 106 million metric tons of plastic waste to be imported inside the country- about half the world’s plastic waste imports. Rich countries in Europe, Asia, and America are also responsible for more than 85% of the plastic waste exports worldwide. Amy Brooks, lead author of the study explains, “Plastic waste was once a fairly profitable business for China, because they could use or resell the recycled plastic waste. But a lot of the plastic China received in recent years was poor quality, and it became difficult to turn a profit. China is also producing more plastic waste domestically, so it doesn’t have to rely on other nations for waste.” The research team stresses upon the fact that countries should be taking bold steps to prevent plastic waste production but also the practice of export and import of the same. Jambeck explains again, “Without bold new ideas and system-wide changes, even the relatively low current recycling rates will no longer be met, and our previously recycled materials could now end up in landfills.”