As of January 1, 2021, the European Union’s 27 member states can no longer ship non-recyclable plastic waste to developing nations. The new legislation is part of the European Green Deal and the bloc’s Circular Economy Action Plan. The move is in response to a conference held last year in which 187 countries agreed to implement plastic restrictions.
According to a European Commission statement, the changes to the bloc’s 2006 Waste Shipment Regulation will apply to intra-EU shipments, exports, and imports of plastic waste – with various shipments being subjected to a prior notification and consent procedure.
The United Kingdom won’t be subject to this policy change because it will no longer be a part of the EU from January 1, 2021. However, its Environmental Bill submitted to Parliament in January 2020 contains similar policies towards plastic, including protecting other countries from becoming a dumping ground for UK plastic waste.
Much of the plastic sent isn’t being recycled and ends up in a landfill, incineration, or the ocean. The countries receiving the waste often can’t sustainably treat it. That’s why under the new rules, only recyclable plastic waste can be exported to non-OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries.
Europe generates twenty-five million tons of plastic waste every year. Less than 30% of it is being recycled. Last year, the EU exported 1.5 million tons of plastic waste, mostly to Turkey, Malaysia, and Indonesia. Meanwhile, 85% of litter found on beaches worldwide is plastic.
Virginijus Sinkevičius, the commissioner for environment, oceans, and fisheries, said:
These new rules send a clear message that in the EU we are taking responsibility for the waste we generate. This is an important milestone in fighting plastic pollution, transitioning shifting to a circular economy, and achieving the aims of the EUROPEAN GREEN DEAL.
Greenpeace Malaysia said plastic waste from developed nations adds to the country’s environmental crisis. Kevin Brigden, Greenpeace Research Laboratories’ senior scientist, said:
When plastics are exported from one country to another, they can bring with them a wide range of hazardous chemicals. Improper storage and treatment can later release these chemicals into the local environment, and burning can even generate new hazardous chemicals.
Heng Kiah Chun, a Greenpeace Malaysia campaigner, added:
The illegal dumping of plastic waste from over 19 countries worldwide has left an indelible mark on Malaysia and other countries in Southeast Asia. Aside from the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, communities in Selangor and Kedah have another invisible enemy to face—chemical contaminants that remain in our environment with the possibility of entering our food chain.
Manfred Santen, a Greenpeace Germany campaigner, emphasized that:
[Exporting countries like mine] must take responsibility for its wastes [and] stronger regulations are needed to drastically reduce the production of unnecessary single-use plastic packaging by multinationals like Nestle, so waste does not need to be exported in the first place.
Demands are mounting worldwide for more ambitious efforts, especially from developed countries that can do so more efficiently. There are new EU rules designed to help stop wealthier countries from exploiting poorer ones, but they’re not good enough. Anti-pollution campaigners are pushing hard to #BreakFreeFromPlastic and warn against “false solutions” like biodegradable plastic production instead of pursuing a circular economy through “robust reuse systems.”
