Plastic: a fantastic problem. Part 2: a half solution
Until 2017, China was the largest importer of foreign plastic waste
In recent years, a large amount of used plastic has been shipped to China, which many saw as the solution. The transported plastic was seen as profitable because China in turn could return the emptied containers with new consumer goods.
China’s National Sword- intiatief
However, this cycle has since been complicated by China’s National Sword initiative. In January 2018, the Chinese government stopped importing low-quality plastic waste as part of its new policy:
- Only plastic waste with a purity level of 99.5% or more is still permitted.
China no longer wants to act as a dumping ground for other countries
The surrounding Asian countries then take over the waste at short notice. But protests are also growing among these countries and they will soon issue their own import ban.
China’s strict waste imports pose a number of challenges to Western countries and the waste management and recycling industry. Finding alternatives is an absolute must.
The EU responds
The EU has also recognized the problem. Europe is responsible for 25% of the world’s plastic consumption
Mainly due to packaging ending up in the trash after only a short time of use.
In 2018, the European Union adopted a plastics strategy, this decision dictates that all packaging must be reusable or recyclable at low cost by 2030.
This new EU strategy therefore poses a new challenge for the waste management and recycling industry.
Just as China did with the ‘National Sword programme’, European manufacturers should have the purity of their plastic waste as a primary objective so that it can become an essential secondary raw material prior to recycling and reuse.
bronnen:
https://www.sesotec.com/emea/en/resources/blog/plastic-part-of-the-problem-part-of-the-solution-part-1-a-global-problem?utm_source=nl&utm_medium=link&utm_term=emea-br&utm_campaign=recycling&utm_content=circular_economy_camp
https://theoceancleanup.com/
https://ourworldindata.org/plastic-pollution
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2018/06/plastic-planet-waste-pollution-trash-crisis/
