In January 2018, after China decided to no longer import plastic waste into its territory, European countries had to find other countries that were willing to receive this waste. However, it was not easy since China was the main exporting country for such waste. The alternative was therefore the poor Asian and African nations, who agreed to receive this waste on their territories in return for payment. Thus, in 2019, 1.5 million tons of EU plastic waste were exported, mainly to Turkey, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, and India. However, the problem is that these countries cannot process and recycle these wastes. Thus, a large portion of them was found in nature, causing significant damage to the environment.
To remedy this situation, the European Union (EU) has finally begun taking action. In December 2020, the EU adopted stricter regulations on plastic waste exports. According to EU Environment Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevicius, “These new rules send a clear message that in the EU we are taking responsibility for the waste we generate. The export of plastic waste will only be allowed under very strict conditions. The export of unsorted plastic waste to non-OECD countries will be completely banned. This is an important milestone in fighting plastic pollution, transitioning shifting to a circular economy, and achieving the aims of the European Green Deal.”
The Waste Shipment Regulation will completely ban all exports of unsorted plastics to less industrialized nations outside the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). But this measure does not target all plastic waste. Pure, clean, and easily recyclable plastic will still be able to travel to countries that are not members of OECD. As for the more “dangerous waste”, it will be exported to member countries of the OECD or the EU, on the condition that an agreement has been made between the exporter and the importer, which is being called the “prior notification of consent procedure”.
However, this measure only concerns the EU’s definition of plastic waste that is not recyclable or difficult to process. This is tricky since what Europe can recycle may not be the case for other countries. Thus, some plastic waste can still end up in nature because it cannot be recycled properly. But we must nonetheless welcome this decision since it is still only a first step in the fight against plastic pollution.
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