Environment

China Changes Trash Import Policy - Refuses to be a Trash Dumping Ground

For decades, China was the world's largest importer of waste but that's changing after Beijing banned 24 types of scraps from entering its borders starting January.

The ban was hailed as a big win for global green efforts by environmentalists, who said it would not only clean up China, but also force other countries to better manage their own trash.

More than three months into the ban, waste exporters such as the U.S., Europe and Japan are still scrambling for an alternative to China.

China was the dumping ground for more than half of the world's trash before the ban and, at its peak, was importing almost 9 million metric tons of plastic scrap a year, according to Greenpeace.

The country started importing waste in the 1980s to fuel a growing manufacturing sector. It grew a whole waste processing and recycling industry, but improper handling of trash and a lack of effective supervision turned the country into a major polluter.

China, now the second-largest economy in the world, has been doubling down on efforts to clean up its air, water and land. Under President Xi Jinping, the country has shuttered tens of thousands of factories that contributed pollution, pushed for greater use of renewable energy and became a green finance giant.