Plastics Recycling : Following Plastic Waste journey, How Waste Crosses Borders?

Understanding the Scale of the Problem:

Every year, the world produces about 400 million tons of plastic waste. Of this amount:

• 9% is successfully recycled
• 12% is incinerated
• 79% accumulates in landfills or the natural environment

The Journey of Plastic Waste: 

From Your Home to the World:

Step 1- Local Collection:

When you throw away a plastic bottle in New York, London, or Bangkok, it enters a local waste management system. 

Depending on where you live, this might mean:

High-income countries - organized collection with separate recycling streams:

• Example: In Germany, the "Green Dot" system collects and sorts plastic packaging separately from other waste, with a 56% recycling rate

Middle-income countries - mixed formal and informal collection:

• Example: In Brazil, waste workers collect valuable plastics from streets and dumps, providing up to 90% of materials that get recycled

Low-income countries - limited formal collection:

• Example: In Nairobi, Kenya, only about 40% of waste is collected, with much of the plastic ending up in informal recycling facilities

Step 2 - Domestic Sorting and Processing:

Once collected, plastic waste goes through an initial sorting process:

High-value plastics (PET bottles, HDPE containers):

• Often separated for domestic recycling or export
• Example: A PET bottle in Japan might be collected, flaked, and used domestically to make new bottles or polyester fiber

Low-value plastics (films, mixed plastics):

• Often landfilled, incinerated, or exported
• Example: A plastic bag from the UK might be bundled with other low-value plastics and exported

Step 3 - The Global Waste Trade:

Until recently, wealthy nations exported millions of tons of plastic waste to developing countries:

Historical pattern - West to East flow:

• In 2016, the US exported 1.5 million tons of plastic waste
• Example: Plastic waste from US would be sent to China for processing

The China Ban Effect: 

• In 2018, China banned imports of most plastic waste, creating a massive disruption
• Example: After the ban, UK plastic exports to Southeast Asian countries increased

Current patterns: 

Major Global Waste Routes:

North America → Southeast Asia:

• Before China's ban US exported 157,000 shipping containers of plastic waste (2018)
• After China's ban: US plastic waste exports to Thailand increased 7,000%
• Example: Plastic waste from Los Angeles is shipped to processing facilities in Southeast Asia

Europe → Turkey and Asia:

• UK exports 61% of its plastic waste
• Example: Mixed plastics from Germany might be shipped to Turkey, where investigations have found some is illegally dumped and burned

Australia → Southeast Asia:

• After China's ban, Australia's exports to Southeast Asian countries dramatically increased
• Example: Plastic waste collected in Sydney might end up in Indonesian sorting facilities

What Happens at Destination?

When plastic waste arrives in importing countries, several scenarios unfold:

Legitimate Recycling:

• Example: High-quality PET flakes from Japan processed in a modern Thai recycling facility into polyester fiber for clothing

Informal Recycling:

• Example: In some Southeast Asian countries, small family businesses sort through imported waste, keeping valuable items and discarding the rest

Illegal Dumping:

• It is the unauthorized disposal of plastic materials in unpermitted locations such as vacant lots, forests, roadsides, or waterways, rather than through proper waste management channels
• Example: In 2020, some Southeast Asian countries authorities returned shipping containers of contaminated waste to Europe

Open Burning:

• It is the uncontrolled combustion of plastic materials in the open air without proper emission controls. Common examples include backyard burning of household trash, setting fire to waste piles at informal dumps, and burning imported plastic waste that cannot be recycled profitably.
• Example: In Turkey, Greenpeace documented piles of European plastic waste being burned in open fields

Recent Policy Responses:

The Basel Convention Amendment (2019):

• Requires consent before shipping hazardous and hard-to-recycle plastic waste
• Example: Some Southeast Asian countries can now legally refuse contaminated plastic waste shipments from the US

European Union Strategy for Plastics (2018):

• All plastic packaging recyclable by 2030
• Single-use plastic ban for certain products
• Example: Plastic straws and cutlery being phased out across Europe

Regional Import Bans:

• Some ports in Southeast Asia now require import licenses and have stricter contamination standards

Solutions Being Implemented:

Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR):

• Makes producers responsible for entire lifecycle
• Example: In South Korea, producers pay fees that fund 75% of waste management costs

Improved Domestic Recycling:

• Countries building capacity after China's ban
• Example: US recycling companies investing in advanced sorting technology

Plastic Pacts and Reduction Targets:

• Brand commitments to reduce plastic use
• Example: Unilever committed to halve virgin plastic use by 2025

Innovative Collection Systems:

• Some Southeast Asian countries implemented a plastic credit system where companies pay local communities for each ton of plastic recovered from the environment

The plastic Waste Challenge Going Forward:

The global movement of plastic waste highlights deep inequities in our waste management systems. 

Wealthier countries have historically exported their problem, while poorer nations bear the environmental and health consequences.
True solutions will require addressing the entire lifecycle, from reducing production and improving product design to building global capacity for proper management and recycling of the plastics we do use.
While the patterns of global plastic waste movement are changing in response to new regulations and awareness,  creating a circular system where plastic never becomes waste in the first place would be the ultimate solution.