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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Will you take my (s)crap? Waste havens in the global plastic waste trade
ClearThe Evolutionary Trend and Impact of Global Plastic Waste Trade Network
Analysis of the global plastic waste trade network from 1988 to 2017 found that recent national import bans have reshaped trade flows, with waste being redirected from China to other developing nations rather than reducing overall plastic waste generation.
Circular Economy and the Changing Geography of International Trade in Plastic Waste
This study analyzed over two decades of international trade data in plastic waste, finding increasingly complex transboundary flows as circular economy policies tightened, with China's 2018 import ban dramatically reshaping global plastic waste trade routes and highlighting ongoing challenges in achieving sustainable plastic material cycles.
Global Plastic Waste Trade: An Analysis of Sources and Trends (1996-2024)
The global trade in plastic waste — where wealthy nations ship plastic scraps to poorer ones for processing — has shaped recycling systems worldwide, but its sustainability is deeply contested. This bibliometric review of 257 academic papers (1996–2024) maps the research landscape, finding that China's 2018 ban on importing foreign plastic waste was a dominant topic, and that the trade raises serious concerns about environmental harm and economic inequality in recipient countries. The study underscores that international plastic waste flows are not a straightforward solution to the plastic crisis and require much closer scrutiny.
Transboundary Trade in Plastic Waste and Environmental Concerns: A Case Study from Thailand
This case study examines how Thailand became a major hub for plastic waste imports following China's 2018 ban on such imports, raising environmental and health concerns. Researchers found that imported plastic waste for recycling has contributed to plastic contamination in seafood, drinking water, rivers, and sediments across the country. The study notes that Thailand's planned 2025 ban on plastic scrap imports may reduce environmental harm but could also disrupt regional recycling industries.
The consequences of trade on global plastic pollution
By combining plastic waste generation data with global trade commodity data, researchers found that plastic waste exported from high-income countries and mismanaged in lower-income nations contributes 1.2 million metric tons of additional plastic to aquatic environments annually, increasing prior estimates of high-income country contributions by 51% for freshwater and 100% for marine environments. The findings reveal that international waste trade is a major underestimated driver of global plastic and microplastic pollution.
Towards a Just Circular Economy Transition: the Case of European Plastic Waste Trade to Vietnam for Recycling
Researchers examined how half of Europe's collected plastic waste is shipped to countries like Vietnam for recycling without adequate oversight, arguing that this practice shifts environmental and health burdens to lower-income nations and calling for a justice-focused global framework to govern plastic waste trade.
The impact of China’s import ban: An economic surplus analysis of markets for recyclable plastics
Researchers used economic surplus analysis to quantify the market impact of China's 2017 ban on plastic waste imports, finding that economic surpluses in Japan and China dropped by up to 58 billion yen and 1,304 billion yen respectively, reshaping global recyclable plastics trade.
Political Economy of Import Waste Regulations in East Java: Implications of Indonesia's Role as Waste Importer Country
This political economy study examines how Indonesia has become a major importer of plastic waste following China's 2018 ban on waste imports (the 'National Sword' policy). The resulting surge in plastic waste imports into countries like Indonesia raises concerns about inadequate processing and increased plastic pollution in these receiving countries.
The effects on Thailand of China’s import restrictions on waste: measures and challenges related to the international recycling of waste plastic and e-waste
Researchers documented how Thailand — already possessing import permit systems — was overwhelmed by a surge in plastic waste and e-waste smuggling following China's 2017 import ban, ultimately imposing its own import prohibition, reflecting broader enforcement challenges across Southeast Asia.
Traded Plastic, Traded Impacts? Designing Counterfactual Scenarios to Assess Environmental Impacts of Global Plastic Waste Trade
This study used life cycle assessment to evaluate the environmental impact of global plastic waste trade in 2022 across 18 countries. The research found that trading plastic waste internationally resulted in lower overall environmental impacts compared to countries processing all their waste domestically, partly because importing countries have higher recycling rates. However, the benefits depend heavily on actual recycling rates, and the trade can shift pollution burdens to lower-income countries.
Plastic waste and microplastic issues in Southeast Asia
This review examines the plastic waste and microplastic crisis across Southeast Asia, a region that contributes significantly to global ocean plastic pollution. The authors found that inadequate waste collection, limited recycling infrastructure, and rapid economic growth are driving the problem. The study evaluates current waste management systems and proposes strategies for improving plastic waste reduction in these countries.
Postmaterialism and Environmental Protection Revisited: Domestic Plastic Bag Regulations, 1992–2019
Researchers used a hazard model to analyze plastic bag regulations across 133 countries from 1992 to 2019, finding that Global South countries that imported plastic waste were more likely to adopt domestic plastic bag bans or fees, challenging the postmaterialism hypothesis that wealthy countries lead environmental regulation.
The plastic waste problem in Malaysia: management, recycling and disposal of local and global plastic waste
This review examines Malaysia's plastic waste crisis, including its status as the world's largest importer of plastic waste since 2017. The paper covers the human health and environmental risks from microplastics generated through landfill leaching, incineration, and degradation of improperly managed waste. The findings highlight how plastic waste mismanagement in one country can become a source of microplastic pollution that affects communities locally and globally.
Impact of microplastics on economic condition in underdeveloped nations
This review examines how microplastic pollution generated primarily by high-income countries disproportionately affects underdeveloped nations in Africa and Southeast Asia due to inadequate waste management infrastructure and limited recycling capacity. Using global socio-economic models projecting mismanaged plastic waste to 2050, the authors show that corruption and lack of education exacerbate plastic pollution, threatening food security, ecological stability, and economic development in vulnerable regions.
Transboundary movements of plastic waste from EU countries as a constraint for sustainability
This study examines the volume and destinations of plastic waste exports from EU countries under trade code 3915, finding that large quantities are shipped to less developed nations not subject to European environmental standards. The authors assess this 'waste tourism' against Basel Convention principles and Sustainable Development Goals, identifying transboundary plastic waste movements as a significant constraint on achieving a circular plastics economy.
Mapping of global plastic value chain and plastic losses to the environment: with a particular focus on marine environment
This report maps the global plastic value chain from production through use to waste management, estimating that millions of tonnes of plastic enter the ocean each year, with significant regional variation in management capacity. The analysis provides the economic and waste management context needed to understand why plastic pollution — and the resulting microplastic problem — continues to grow globally.
Complexities of the global plastics supply chain revealed in a trade-linked material flow analysis
A global analysis of the 2022 plastics supply chain found that 437 million tonnes of plastics were traded worldwide, with only 9% recycled while 34% was incinerated and 40% went to landfills. The study reveals how plastic production is concentrated in oil-rich countries while waste often ends up in lower-income nations, highlighting the scale of plastic pollution that ultimately breaks down into microplastics affecting human health.
Policy implications for gaps in traditional plastic waste material flow analysis: Palmerston North, New Zealand
This study analyzed gaps in plastic waste material flow tracking from New Zealand to Malaysia, revealing policy shortcomings in the international plastic waste trade and recommending stronger national and Basel Convention regulatory frameworks.
A Critical Analysis of the Rising Global Demand of Plastics and its Adverse Impact on Environmental Sustainability
This critical review examined global trends in plastic demand and mismanaged plastic waste, identifying the top contributing countries and evaluating plastic replacement alternatives, arguing that reducing consumption and improving waste management infrastructure are more impactful than material substitution alone.
New Challenges for Sustainable Plastic Recycling in Japan
This review examines how China's 2018 ban on importing waste plastics forced Japan and the United States to confront domestic plastic recycling challenges, analyzing policy responses at the G7 level and evaluating the structural barriers and emerging strategies for building sustainable plastic recycling infrastructure.
The Global South as a Wasteland for Global North’s Fast Fashion: Ghana in Focus
Not relevant to microplastics — this paper examines how fast fashion waste from wealthy countries is exported to Ghana and other parts of the Global South, focusing on social justice and economic impacts rather than chemical or plastic pollution.
Taking a mass-balance approach to assess marine plastics in the South China Sea
Researchers applied a mass-balance modeling approach to assess marine plastic pollution in the South China Sea, finding critical data gaps on plastic inputs, transfer rates, and sink terms that prevent accurate quantification of this recognized global plastic hotspot.
The geopolitical economy of Thailand's marine plastic pollution crisis
Researchers examined the geopolitical and economic factors driving Thailand's status as one of the world's largest contributors to ocean plastic pollution, finding that governance failures, economic development pressures, and global plastic supply chains are key structural drivers that environmental management has not adequately addressed.
A local-to-global emissions inventory of macroplastic pollution.
This study developed a high-resolution global inventory of macroplastic pollution by distributing nationally reported waste management data down to sub-national and local scales, producing maps of plastic emission hotspots. The dataset is intended to support negotiations for a global plastics treaty by providing a data-driven baseline for identifying sources and prioritizing interventions.