Abstract
In 2017 the Chinese government announced to a ban on the importation of several kinds of recyclable waste that could be replaced by domestic recyclable waste. Current research on this subject has placed an emphasis on the issues faced by exporting countries and Southeast Asia as an alternative destination of plastic wastes. However, there has been little study on changes in the waste recycling industry in China and other export destinations such as Taiwan. In this study, I conducted a field survey in China and Taiwan and reviewed the history of Chinese recyclable waste import policy and its impacts on plastic recycling industries. The results show that China switched from directly importing waste plastics from exporting countries to importing recycled pellets via third-party countries, primarily from Southeast Asia. Although Taiwan’s import volume of waste plastics has increased since 2018, improper (i.e. illegal) imports such as those commonly reported in Southeast Asian countries have not been reported in Taiwan. Even after Taiwan implemented tightened import controls in October 2018, it was still able to import enough recycled waste to meet domestic demand. The case of Taiwan shows that proper import controls can contribute to a more sustainable global circular economy.
Highlights
China has imported recyclable waste, such as iron scrap and waste plastics, from abroad to make up for a shortage of domestic resources [1]
To fill the raw material shortage caused by the Ban, the Chinese government introduced regulations on waste separation to increase the volume of recycled domestic waste plastics, but it will not be easy to build a comprehensive collection system in a short period
Some Chinese waste plastic recycling companies have transferred their factories to Southeast Asia, Japan, and Taiwan and started to export recycled pellets to China
Summary
China has imported recyclable waste, such as iron scrap and waste plastics, from abroad to make up for a shortage of domestic resources [1]. After China joined the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2001, its demand for raw materials dramatically increased due to rapid industrial development. Several studies have pointed out that importing recyclable waste can have multiple benefits. Recycling imported waste can consume less energy and generate less residue compared to producing similar materials from virgin natural resources [2]. Imported recyclable waste represents a stable supply of high-quality materials and generates high profits for recycling industries [3, 4]. Waste imports contributed to reducing China’s trade deficits after it joined the WTO [5, 6]. Environmental contamination caused by small-scale recyclers has been well
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