Not all of them plastic waste The waste we put in the yellow container is recycled. A significant part of it is thrown into nature in Asian countries, sent for recycling, but is not actually recycled. Despite the strict regulations of the European Union (EU) on this issue, a pack of chips we bought yesterday from the supermarket around the corner can end up in a forest in Vietnam, for example.
Research led by Kaustubh Thapa from Utrecht University (Netherlands) discovered this by focusing on Vietnam, a country where plastic waste sent from the EU has little oversight. However, this is a reality also seen in other Asian countries.
Approximately Half of Europe’s plastic waste is exported to many countries in the global southIncluding Vietnam. Other countries receiving this material are Malaysia or Indonesia. China, until recently the largest importer of Western garbage, has banned the practice and quantities are falling rapidly.
Vietnam case
A research team from Utrecht University traveled to Minh Khai Craft Village, Vietnam’s largest recycling centre, to track down European plastic that should theoretically be recycled there.
“We observed people cooking, eating and living at the recycling facility, surrounded by noxious fumes of molten plastic. “Children are playing in this stifling environment,” lead researcher Kaustubh Thapa said in a statement.
“While such waste trading may be profitable for some, the transfer of waste management responsibility from producers to villages like these harms people, communities and the environment“added.
UN negotiations for an international plastics agreement are currently ongoing. Thapa’s new research shows a striking contrast between Vietnamese and European policies and the actual situation of recycling centers in the global south.
“European consumers are trying to sort recycling but a significant portion of their efforts are being wasted.”
“European consumers are making efforts to separate recycling, but we can clearly see that their efforts are being significantly wasted,” says Thapa. He adds: “Focus on increasing recycling rates in the EU without systematically addressing harm to people and the environment The approaches associated throughout the entire value chain are not ethical, circular or sustainable.
Researchers believe that recycling plastic waste can be done sustainably. “The ongoing UN talks on the European Green Deal, the Circular Economy Action Plan and the legally binding Global Plastics Agreement cannot ignore our conclusions. As we consume more and therefore produce more waste, a more comprehensive consideration of the trade in waste for recycling is needed.” It needs to be done at a systematic level,” Thapa concludes.
In this situation, Some Asian countries, such as China, have begun refusing to accept plastic waste Very low quality materials from Western countries, especially those that are very difficult to recycle. The EU has also imposed restrictions on the shipment of plastic garbage to southern countries to prevent it from reaching the forests and seas in this part of the world.
But the reality, as revealed by researchers from Utrecht University, is that there are countries that receive all kinds of plastic waste without controlled management.
Reference work: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s43615-023-00330-w
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