California sent over 150 million pounds of plastic waste abroad last year, but mounting international bans and criticism are forcing the state to reckon with a broken recycling system.
Bill Walker writes for The New Lede.
In short:
- In 2024, California exported most of its plastic waste to developing countries, with Mexico and Vietnam taking the largest shares, but key importers like Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand have now banned U.S. waste shipments.
- Despite a landmark law passed in 2022 to reduce plastic production and shift recycling costs to producers, Governor Gavin Newsom weakened the rules after lobbying pressure from packaging companies.
- A global treaty on plastics is under negotiation, but progress remains stalled due to fossil fuel industry influence and a lack of consensus on binding production caps.
Key quote:
“The plastics that are not feasible to be recycled are often hazardous, or contain microplastics, which are commonly dumped, burned, or released into waterways. The export of plastic waste for recycling is a complete sham.”
— Jim Puckett, founder and chief of strategic direction at Basel Action Network
Why this matters:
Plastic waste left at curbside recycling bins often resurfaces in poorer countries where it clogs rivers, chokes marine life, and fouls the air when burned. These exported plastics can contain toxic additives or break down into microplastics that contaminate food chains and are increasingly linked to serious human health issues, including cancer and infertility. While recycling feels like a civic good, the global trade in plastic scrap has become a form of environmental outsourcing, pushing both pollution and public health risks onto communities with fewer protections. As international borders close to U.S. waste, states like California must confront the environmental and ethical costs of plastic dependency — and the illusion that recycling alone can solve it.
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