OnJune17,2017,ChinadeclaredtotheWorldTradeOrganization(WTO)thatbytheendoftheyear,itwouldnolongeracceptimportsof24categoriesofsolidwaste.Andbytheendof2019,itwillgraduallystopimportingthesolidwastethatcanbereplacedbydomesticresources.
DuetoChina’sbanonforeignwasteimport,manycountriesincludingtheU.S.,BritainandSouthKoreacouldfaceagarbagecrisis.InMarch2018,aU.S.officialevenraisedconcernsattheWTO,declaringthat“China’simportrestrictionsonrecycledcommoditieshavecausedafundamentaldisruptioninglobalsupplychainsforscrapmaterials.”
“RestrictingandbanningtheimportofsolidwasteisanimportantmeasureChinaistakingtoshifttoanewdevelopmentconcept,improveenvironmentalqualityandsafeguardthepeople’shealth,”explainedHuaChunying,aspokeswomanofChina’sMinistryofForeignAffairs.
BiggestImporter
Inthe1990s,whenChina’seconomyshiftedintohighgear,itsdemandforrawmaterialsgreatlyincreased.Compoundedbyindifferenceabouttheenvironmentalcostandweakoversight,China’sannualscrapimportsmultipliedtenfoldfrom4.5milliontonsto45milliontonsinthetwodecadesfrom1995to2016.
Meanwhile,theU.S.hasbeenaneagerexporter.AccordingtotheInstituteofScrapRecyclingIndustries(ISRI),in2016,ChinaimportedUS$5.6billionworthofscrapmetal,US$1.9billionworthofwastepaper(13.2milliontons)andUS$495millionofwasteplastic(1.42milliontons).Thebigmarketfueleddevelopmentofalargeindustrialchain.RobinWiener,presidentoftheISRI,estimatedthat155,000jobsintheU.S.involvewasteexportingtoChina.
And27countriesintheEuropeanUniondirectlyorindirectlyshipped87percentoftheirrecycledplastictoChina.BritishnewspaperTheGuardianreportedthattheU.K.exported2.7milliontonsofwasteplastictoChinaannually,accountingfortwothirdsofthecountry’stotalvolume.
“TheU.S.istheworld’slargestexporterofwaste,”saidDongZhanfeng,vicedirectoroftheDepartmentforEnvironmentalPolicyattheChineseAcademyforEnvironmentalPlanning.“Beforetheban,ChinawasthelargestreceiverofAmericanwaste—asmuchas40percentofitstotalexports.TheU.S.blamedChinaattheWTObecauseithopestocontinuetransferringitstrashtoalleviateitsburdenwithdangerousdomesticwasteandamassivevolumeofregulartrash.Also,theU.S.wantstoshirkitsresponsibilitiesinglobalenvironmentalgovernance.”
Ofcourse,scraptradedoeshaveitsbenefits.“Fordevelopedcountries,trashcanbecomecash,”Dongnoted.“AndChinadidnothavetocutitstreesanddigitsoilforsomerawmaterialsitneeds.Actually,intheearlyperiodofChina’sreformandopeningup,theimportofwastehadsomepositiveimpactsonChina’ssocialdevelopmentandloweredproductioncosts.Butthisprocesswasatgreatenvironmentalsacrifice.”
EnvironmentalCosts
Alongwithauthorizedimportedwaste,agreatdealofforeigngarbagewassmuggledintoChinaannually.Behindthe400-percentprofitrateofsomeintherecyclingindustrywerehugecoststotheenvironmentandpublichealth.
LastJuly,China’sMinistryofEcologyandEnvironmentcarriedoutaone-monthcampaigntocheck1,792companiesengagedinprocessingandutilizationofwasteandfoundthat1,074ofthem,ashighas60percent,violatedenvironmentalprotectionregulations.“Solidwasteimportingjustcreatesmoreandmoreproblems,especiallywhenimportedwasteismixedwithbannedrubbishandevenhazardoussubstances,”saidChineseMinisterofEcologyandEnvironmentLiGanjie.“Furthermore,thereprocessinganduti-lizationofimportedwasteleadstogreatdamagetotheenvironment.”KunmingCustomsdestroys2.36millionsmuggleddiscs,whichamountedto35.5tonsofforeignsolidwaste,inanenvironmentallyfriendlyway.VCGOncedubbedthe“GlobalElectronicWasteTown,”GuiyuinGuangdongProvincerecycledoldelectronicproductsbycrudelydismantlingimportedelectronictrash,whichcausedseriouspollutiontothelocalair,waterandsoil.Backinthemid-1990s,Guiyu’sundergroundwaterwastoopollutedtodrink.In2009,aphysicalcheckofthevillagersunderGuiyu’sjurisdictionshowedthat80percentofprimaryandjuniorhighschoolstudentssufferedfromrespiratorydiseases.Andasurveyin2011showedthat25percentoflocalnewbornshadtoomuchchromiumintheirbodies.
“Wehavespentnearlyadecadeupgradingtheindustrialstructure,curbingpollutionandaidingthevictims,soGuiyu’ssituationisimproving,”saidProfessorDuHuanzheng,founderoftheenvironmentalimprovementprojectforGuiyuanddirectoroftheInstituteofRecycledEconomicsatTongjiUniversityinShanghai.“Butsomedamagetobothpeopleandtheenvironmentisirreversible.”
“BanninghazardouswasteandrestrictingsolidwasteimportsareimportantmeasuresChinaistakingtoimproveitsenvironmentandprotectpublichealth,”saidDongZhanfeng.AndaccordingtotheBaselConventionontheControlofTrans-boundaryMovementsofHazardousWastesandTheirDisposal,everycountryhastherighttobantheentryofforeignhazardouswasteandothersortsofwaste.Chinaisapartytotheconvention.
ErikSolheim,under-secretary-generaloftheUnitedNationsandexecutivedirectoroftheUnitedNationsEnvironmentProgram,believesthebanonforeigngarbageistherightchoiceforChina.HestressedthatChinahasthefullrighttoprotectitspeoplefromtheplagueofforeignrubbish.
OpportunitiesBehindChallenges
ManycountriesdroppedintotrashpandemoniumafterChina’sannouncementoftheban,asdidsomeofChina’sdomesticenterprises.Forexample,intherecycledplasticmarket,domesticsupplierscouldhardlyfillthegapofseveralmilliontons,whichdrovethepriceofusedplasticpertoninChinato8,000yuan,50percentupcomparedto2015.
Butthebanwillforceboththedomesticandinternationalrecyclingindustrytoupgrade.
“Aftertheban,relatedcompanieswillhavetoturntheireyestothedomesticmarket,”Dongpredicted.“ButChinesecompaniesvaryintermsofscaleandlevel,andtheirtechniqueslagfarbehindsomeoftheirforeigncounterparts.Consequently,enterprisesusinghightechnologyandinnovativetechniqueswillenjoyabetterfutureandthosewithoutsuchadvantageswillshutdownortransform.So,intheshortterm,thebanwillcauseanegativeimpactonsomecompanies,butinthelongrun,itwillbegoodforthewholeindustryandfacilitateatechnologicalupgrade.”
“Weneedtoimproveourskillsinrecyclingandutilizingourownwaste,whilebanningimportedwaste,”notesProfessorLiuJianguowiththeSchoolofEnvironmentatTsinghuaUniversity.“Akeyreasonthatdevelopedcountrieshaveformedanextensiveindustryinvolvingsolidwasteexportsisthattheyuseverystrictsystemsforwastesorting.Thisexport-orientedsolidgarbageclassificationenhancesthescaleandeffectivenessofeffortstorecyclewastepaperandplastic.Sostrictwastesortingcanenhanceenvironmentalprotectionandeconomicgrowthaswell.Weneedtopromoteitactivelywithgreaterefforts.”
MichaelJ.Schneider,spokespersonfromRemondis,Germany’slargestenvironmentalservicesprovider,notedthatChina’sbanhasexertedgreatpressureonrelatedenterprisesinGermanyandotherEuropeancountries,butatthesametime,putthemonthealert.Hebelievesthatthiswillpushtheeconomicdecision-makersofGermanyandtheEurozonetoreassesstheirownrecyclingindustriesandtakethenecessarymeasurestoadapt.