Skip to main content

What China’s waste import ban has meant for the West

Two years after China stopped importing much of their waste, how have Australia, Europe and the US adapted?

China’s move to severely limit imports of waste sent shock waves around the globe, with industry bodies calling it “devastating” and “catastrophic”.

Initial attempts by some developing countries to offshore their waste to other markets in Southeast Asia have largely failed, as nations have followed China’s lead and implemented their own bans.