Developed countries have exported their supposedly recyclable waste to developing countries to save money and reduce landfill in the exporting country. But this leads to increased transport emissions. In addition, the exported waste often cannot be recycled and leads to widespread pollution in the importing countries.
Exporting of waste materials
Developed countries have exported their supposedly recyclable waste to developing countries to save money and reduce landfill in the exporting country. But this leads to increased transport emissions. In addition, the exported waste often cannot be recycled and leads to widespread pollution in the importing countries.
Nº 123
1) Nigeria, Ikeja Computer Village
2) United States
- Chemicals & Waste
- Waste Reduction
- Transfer of Waste
some attempts made
past case
Region-1
Region-2
Region-3
Region-4
ongoing case
no attempts made
Exporting of waste materials
1) In the Ikeja Computer Village near Lagos, Nigeria, there is a thriving market where electronic waste is repaired and resold. People involved in this industry buy used electronic products, repair and recycle them, and then sell them. However, a significant amount of this material, ranging from 25% to 75%, is unusable, and there is a significant lack of proper infrastructure to dispose of it in the region. As a result, the improper disposal of this e-waste, which contains toxic materials, creates serious social and environmental problems.
2) In an attempt to save on recycling costs, the United States has used the profits from exporting plastic waste to other countries, such as China, Malaysia and Indonesia, to prevent the recycling industry from fully developing in the country where plastic waste is a major export. Although importing countries have the resources to recycle all the plastic waste they receive, in 2017 alone, the United States sent 276,200 shipping containers (1.5 million tonnes) of plastic waste to countries with inadequate waste management. What’s more, the transportation of this waste results in significant carbon emissions – 120 million kilograms of CO2 in 2019, equivalent to the emissions from 26,000 cars in a year. ‘
- Facilitated the efforts to address the initial problem; The problem-shift had no effect on the efforts to address the initial problem
- Cascading (far-reaching effects following each other)
1) Schmidt, C. W. (2006). Unfair Trade: e-Waste in Africa. Environmental Health Perspectives 114 (4), A232-A235. https://doi.org/10.1289/ehp.114-a232.
2) Dell, J. (2020). No ‘Away’: Why is the U.S. Still Offshoring Plastic Waste Around the World? Plastic Pollution Coalition. Available at https://www.plasticpollutioncoalition.org/blog/2020/4/7/why-is-the-us-still-offshoring-post-consumer-plastic-waste-around-the-world
European Environment Agency. (2019, October 28). The plastic waste trade in the circular economy. European Environment Agency. Available at https://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/the-plastic-waste-trade-in
U.S. Plastic Waste Exports (U.S. Census Bureau data); U.K. Plastic Waste Exports (HM Revenue & Customs data); Country Waste Mismanagement Rates (Jambeck et. al, 2015). (2020). Destination of U.S. and U.K. Plastic Waste Exports, Country Waste Mismanagement Rates and Evidence of Harms to Receiving Countries. Harms of Plastic Waste Exports.
Liu, Z., Adams, M., & Walker, T. R. (2018). Are exports of recyclables from developed to developing countries waste pollution transfer or part of the global circular economy?. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 136, 22-23.
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