Author: Jerri-Lynn Scofield, he has served as a securities lawyer and derivatives trader.She is currently writing a book about textile craftsmen.

We are number one!

The United States is still the world’s largest exporter of plastic waste-although China’s decision to stop being the world’s plastic waste dumping ground in 2018 has seen a sharp decline in waste exports. Other countries—Vietnam, Thailand—have filled some vacancies.

In fact, the U.S. exports of plastic waste continue to exceed all other EU countries combined.

The Guardian reported on Friday that a report conducted by the California-based environmental advocacy organization Last Beach Cleanup found that after the export of plastic waste from the United States, the Latin American environmental organization called on the United States to restrict the export of plastic waste to the region.By the first seven months of 2020, some Latin American countries have doubled (see Latin America urges the U.S. to reduce exports of plastic waste to the region).

According to the Guardian:

More than 75% of imported products from this region arrived in Mexico, which received more than 32,650 tons (29,620 metric tons) of plastic waste from the United States between January and August 2020. Savior According to research conducted by Last Beach Cleanup, an environmental advocacy organization based in California, it ranked second with 4,054 tons, and Ecuador ranked third with 3,665 tons.

A researcher said that although hazardous waste imports are subject to tariffs and restrictions, they are rarely enforced, and plastic waste used for recycling—not considered hazardous waste under international law until January of this year—is imported. Countries often end up as landfills in cooperation with the Global Coalition for Alternatives to Incinerators (Gaia).

A report released by Gaia in July also predicted that the plastic waste industry in Latin America will grow further as companies in the United States and China invest in factories and recycling plants in the region to process US-exported plastics.

Dumping plastic in developing countries is only a modern manifestation of colonialism. According to the Guardian:

Some people think this approach is a form of environmental colonialism. “Cross-border plastic waste trade may be one of the most evil manifestations of the commercialization of ordinary commodities and the colonial occupation of the geopolitical southern territories turning them into sacrifice zones,” said Fernanda Solitz, the center’s health regional director. Solíz) said.Simon Bolivar University Ecuador.

“Latin America and the Caribbean is not the backyard of the United States,” Solitz said. “We are a sovereign territory, and we demand respect for nature and the rights of our people.”

Other developed countries have tried to prevent the export of plastic waste. In fact, an international agreement has been reached for this purpose. Alas, the United States, the largest plastic offender country, chose not to sign the agreement. According to the Guardian:

Most countries in the world agreed in May 2019 to prevent plastic waste from flowing from developed countries in the global north to poorer countries in the global south. The agreement is known as the Plastics Amendment to the Basel Convention, which prohibits the export of plastic waste to developing countries by private entities in the United States without the permission of the local government.

But crucially, the United States did not ratify the agreement and was accused of continuing to send its waste to countries around the world, including Africa, Southeast Asia and Latin America.

“The regional government failed in two aspects: the first is customs inspection, because we really don’t know what has entered the country under the guise of recycling, and they have not fulfilled their commitments to international agreements, such as Basel Convention. Gaia’s spokesperson Camilla Aguilera said. “Here, it’s important to understand what’s under the type of recycling, because recycling is seen as a good thing. “

Aguilera said: “Countries in the north of the earth consider recycling to be something to be proud of, and they have forgotten to redesign products and reduce waste.” “It is difficult for the government to treat plastics like toxic waste, but it is the case.”

I am sorry to see the continued emphasis on recycling in the United States extends to Latin America. And Chinese companies, these companies are promoting recycling as a means of processing waste generated in the United States. Recycling is halfway at best. The world does not need more members to sing in the recycling choir. On the contrary, it is necessary to reduce plastic production. Stopped completely. First, producing plastic will bring environmental costs. It is better to stop manufacturing plastics than to worry about how to deal with the waste once it is generated.