The US and other countries are permitted to send lower-quality plastic waste to private entities in developing countries without getting approval from their governments. This, however, is about to change. Beginning officially a year from now, exporting countries – including the US – will have to obtain consent from countries receiving contaminated, mixed or unrecyclable plastic waste.
The deal has been agreed upon by almost every country in the world. The announcement regarding this decision was made by the United Nations. The intention is to restrict shipments of hard-to-recycle plastic waste to poorer countries. One of the hackers of the deal, The Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (Gaia), proclaimed finding villages in Indonesia, Thailand, and Malaysia that had “turned into dumpsites over the course of a year”.
Claire Arkin, a spokeswoman for Gaia, said:
“We were finding that there was waste from the US that was just piled up in villages throughout these countries that had once been primarily agricultural communities.”
Meanwhile, activists in developing countries claim they’ve observed plastic waste piling up since China stopped accepting recycling from the United States.
The deal was set in stone at the end of a two-week meeting of UN-backed conventions on plastic waste and toxic, hazardous chemicals that threaten the planet’s seas and creatures. Like a grand finale of sorts, the legally binding framework for the deal made its debut. From the moment the pact goes into effect, countries will have to monitor where plastic waste goes when it leaves their borders.
Most countries were all in, except the USA who argued against the change, saying officials didn’t understand the repercussions it would have on the plastic waste trade. However, the country is not a party to that convention so it did not have a vote.
The agreement was signed by 187 countries in Geneva, Switzerland, under the convention. Rolph Payet of the United Nations Environment Program called the agreement “historic.” Payet said the negotiations brought together 1,400 delegates in all, and that it had gone much further than anticipated.
The pact comes in an amendment to the Basel Convention, which sets rules for first-world countries shipping hazardous waste to less wealthy nations. Backers say the amendment will make the global trade in plastic waste more transparent and better regulated, thus protecting humans and the environment. The deal is “a crucial first step towards stopping the use of developing countries as a dumping ground for the world’s plastic waste, especially those coming from rich nations,” says Von Hernandez, global coordinator for Break Free from Plastic.
Developing countries that are part of the Basel Convention and are not part of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, will not be receiving plastic waste from America and other countries anymore. For too long wealthy countries have abdicated responsibility for enormous quantities of plastic waste.
This is but a first step said Marco Lambertini, director general of the environmental and wildlife charity WWF International. “However, it only goes part of the way. What we – and the planet – need is a comprehensive treaty to tackle the global plastic crisis,” he added.
