China’s imports of solid waste are continuing to decline in the first four months of 2019, as the country made the enforcement of a ban on solid waste imports tighter. In fact, during last month solid waste imports were less by 1.38 million tonnes compared to March.
As Xinhua news agency reports, imports of plastic, paper and metal waste amounted to a total of 4.74 million tonnes from January to April period. This is a reduction of 33.1% from the same period last year.
Namely, only during April, solid waste imports reached 1.3 million tonnes, less by 1.38 million tonnes in comparison to March.
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China started the imports of solid waste as a source of raw materials in the 1980s and for a long period of time it has been the world’s largest importer, in spite of its weak capacity in garbage disposal.
However, a number of companies have profited by illegally importing foreign waste into the country, raising a risk to the environment and public health.
Taking into consideration the increasing public awareness of environmental protection and China’s ambition for green development, the country decided to eliminate such imports by the end of 2019, with the exception for those including resources that cannot be substituted.
China has banned imports of 24 types of solid waste, including plastics and paper, and has also implemented tough quality restrictions on other recyclable materials.
