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Legal regulation of transboundary movement of plastic waste in China under the Basel Convention
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This paper isn't a health study—it's a legal analysis of how China regulates plastic waste shipped in from other countries under an international treaty called the Basel Convention. The researchers found gaps in China's laws that make it harder to control this waste properly, and they suggest fixes like clearer rules and better accountability when things go wrong. This matters because poorly managed plastic waste often ends up dumped, burned, or degraded in ways that release microplastics and toxic chemicals into soil, water, and eventually our food and bodies.
The transboundary movement of plastic waste has increasingly become a focal point of widespread concern in the international community. Against this backdrop, the Basel Convention, as the core international legal instrument governing the control of transboundary movement of hazardous waste, provides an important framework for the international regulation of plastic waste through its prior informed consent procedure, environmentally sound management system, hazardous waste list system and illegal shipment control system. However, China faces numerous challenges in applying the Basel Convention, including poor alignment between domestic policies, laws and the Convention, an incomplete regulatory system and a lack of liability and compensation regimes. To this end, this paper proposes suggestions such as improving the legal system, strengthening access regulation and perfecting the liability and compensation system, with a view to enhancing China’s capacity for legal regulation of the transboundary movement of plastic waste and better addressing the global plastic pollution crisis.
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International legal regulation of marine plastic pollution: basic theories, specific issues, and China’s responses
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Quick heads-up: this isn't a health study, but it tackles something that affects the food you eat and water you drink, the messy, incomplete patchwork of international laws meant to stop plastic pollution from piling up in our oceans. The researchers found that current global agreements have major gaps and weak enforcement, which matters because ocean plastic breaks down into microplastics that end up in seafood and drinking water, potentially in our bodies. The paper argues for stronger, more coordinated international rules (plus a bigger role for countries like China) to actually get plastic pollution under control before it accumulates further.
Trade Related Measures in Plastic Rule Governance and China's Participation
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This paper looks at how countries are trying to use trade rules — like restrictions on shipping plastic waste across borders — to tackle the global plastic pollution problem, using China as a key example. While it doesn't directly study health effects, this matters because plastic waste that isn't properly managed often ends up polluting oceans and land, breaking down into microplastics that can enter our food, water, and eventually our bodies. Stronger international trade rules on plastic could be an important tool for reducing this pollution at its source, before it becomes a health hazard.
International trade and plastic waste in oceans: legal and policy challenges
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This study examined the intersection of international trade and plastic waste through a review of legal frameworks including the Basel Convention, UNCLOS, and regional trade agreements, identifying enforcement gaps and insufficient international cooperation as major obstacles. The authors recommend strengthening legal frameworks, enhancing compliance monitoring, and promoting sustainable trade practices to mitigate marine plastic pollution.
From weak governance to strong governance: doctrinal reflection and adjustment of transboundary marine ecological environmental governance in China’s Ecological and Environmental Code
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Ocean pollution like plastic waste and wastewater doesn't stop at national borders, but China's environmental law has weak, vague rules for handling pollution that crosses into other countries' waters. This paper argues for stronger, clearer legal rules on responsibility and cross-border cooperation, which matters because uncontrolled ocean pollution can affect seafood safety and marine ecosystems people depend on worldwide.
The Legal dilemmas and pathways for managing plastic waste pollution in China: An assessment of current regulations and a vision for future governance frameworks
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This paper systematically analyses the current state of plastic waste legal regulation in China and proposes a framework for future governance, examining how the rapid growth of the e-commerce, express delivery, and food delivery industries has sharply increased plastic product consumption. The authors assess existing regulatory gaps and outline pathways toward more effective and comprehensive plastic waste management law.
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When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.