Interpol flags rise in illegal plastic waste trade

Since China banned the import of plastic waste from other countries in 2018, there has been an "alarming increase" in illegal waste shipments that, camouflaged through multiple transit countries, ultimately end up heading towards Southeast Asia. Interpol writes this in the Strategic analysis on emerging criminal trends in the global plastic waste market since January 2018.

Until 2018, nearly half of the world's plastic waste ended up in China. Europe previously exported 2.9 billion tonnes of plastic waste to China. In 2018, China banned the import of plastic waste. However, exports from the West shifted to other Asian countries such as India, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Vietnam. Interpol notes an increase in falsified documents to evade regulations and import duties.

Interpol also discovered an increase in illegal waste burning and dumping in Asia and Europe. Mounds of waste are set on fire to easily get rid of them, but this leads to severe environmental pollution. Following a number of suspicious fires at Dutch recyclers, Dutch insurers adjusted their policies. They no longer cover fires in open-air storage facilities. The Dutch government observed that the number of fires dropped significantly between January and March 2020 as a result, which strengthens the suspicion of malicious intent in a number of cases, Interpol writes in the report on pages 36-37.

Opportunity for a reform of waste policy

European governments must turn this waste crisis into an opportunity to reform waste policy so that it contributes more to a healthy living environment, Recycling Netwerk wrote back in 2018.

The best method remains tackling the problem at the source: doing with less packaging, by moving away from single-use to reusable products. In addition, policy must focus much more on high-quality recycling through separate streams that are much easier to recycle. In this regard, packaging design and limiting the number of additives and plastics are important. The requirement that plastics consist of a significant proportion of recycled plastics helps to boost the demand for recyclate.

It is more beneficial for the environment for waste to be processed with high-quality methods within Europe, rather than exporting it to countries with poorer waste systems. Therefore, it is important that policymakers stimulate processing within Europe.

Belgium and the Netherlands are major exporters of plastic waste

Belgium and the Netherlands are actually in the global top tier when it comes to exporting plastic waste. Both countries each account for 4 per cent of the global trade in plastic waste. This means they export more waste than countries like France, Spain, Canada, or Mexico (Harvard University, The Atlas of Economic Complexity), which is related to the well-positioned ports in Rotterdam and Antwerp.

The shift from exports to Asia to processing within Europe has begun since 2018 (see graphs). European policymakers can turn the crisis into an opportunity by further stimulating European processing.

Figure: Belgium accounts for 4.91 per cent of the global export (!) of plastic waste, and the Netherlands 4.40 per cent 2018 figures from Harvard Atlas of Economic Complexity.

Export plastic waste credits: Comtrade

Related media:

De Tijd, De afvoerbuis voor afval zit verstopt, 3 December 2017

Al Jazeera, Global waste industry rocked by China import ban, 24 September 2018