The global issue of foreign waste
Authors: Dasheng Liu, Shuqi Wang
Journal: The Lancet Planetary Health (2019)

China is the largest global importer of foreign refuse waste. The categories of waste imported include electronic waste, unsorted paper, plastics, and textiles. Thousands of manual workshop-like enterprises dispose of these wastes in a crude manner (eg, from acid-stripping or open burning of electronic components and wires for metal retrieval). Sometimes, these wastes are dumped into water or directly on to soil. This practice has left the country with serious problems of air, water, and soil pollution,1Wong MH Wu SC Deng WJ et al.Export of toxic chemicals—a review of the case of uncontrolled electronic-waste recycling.Environ Pollut. 2007; 149: 131-140Crossref PubMed Scopus (647) Google Scholar and even poor neonatal health.2Qiu SS Huo X Liu JX et al.Association between prenatal lead and cadmium exposure from electronic waste recycling and the development of neonate.Journal of Shantou University Medical College. 2012; 25: 138-140Google Scholar Large amounts of persistent toxic substances, such as dioxin-like compounds, heavy metals, and brominated flame retardants, have been released into the environment during the waste dismantling processes, which have negative effects on the environment and human health. According to several studies in China, the levels of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dixoxin and dibenzofurans, polybrominated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans, in the environment around an electronic waste dismantling area in the studies exceeded various national and international limits. The total exposure dose to dioxins for adults, children, and breast-fed infants in China exceeded the tolerable daily intake recommended by WHO.3Chan JKY Wong MH A review of environmental fate, body burdens, and human health risk assessment of PCDD/Fs at two typical electronic waste recycling sites in China.Sci Total Environ. 2013; 463–64: 1111-1123Crossref Scopus (97) Google Scholar The residents had a high incidence of skin damage, headaches, vertigo, nausea, and digestive ulcers.4Qiu B, Peng L, Xu X, Lin X, Hong J, Huo X. Medical investigation of e-waste demanufacturing industry in Guiyu town. Proceedings of the International Conference on Electronic Waste and Extended Producer Responsibility; Beijing, China: April 21–22, 2004; 79–83.Google Scholar To deal with this situation, China banned the imports of foreign garbage at the end of 2017. 1 year later, it has been shown that this was the right decision as the annual import of solid waste decreased by 46·5% in 2018.5Li GJ The speech of the minister of Ecology and Environment of China (MEE China) in 2019 national work conference of ecological and environmental protection [In Chinese].http://www.mee.gov.cn/xxgk2018/xxgk/xxgk15/201901/t20190127_691113.htmlDate accessed: January 27, 2019Google Scholar This decision supported by many people in China, although some feel differently. For example, some people are worried that the rising prices of raw materials will affect paper mills, and waste exporters in developed countries are concerned about where their rubbish will go. This ban means that thousands of garbage enterprises in China would be shut down and even more workers would lose their jobs, thus damaging the local economy. That is the price China has to pay. From a global perspective and according to the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal, such enterprises are only the bottom link in the global chain of waste export and import disposal. What is the role and function of the waste exporter in this situation? They earn huge sums of money by selling rubbish to importers without any concern to whether these wastes are disposed of properly and legally. Sometimes, they receive substantial waste disposal allowances from their own governments, although they do not do anything except selling this waste. The largest importer country has taken responsible steps, and it is time for exporters and importers to work together to tackle the global issue of foreign refuse, and improve the level of public health. If not, this global issue will persist, and the only change will be the affected country and its residents. Yesterday it was China, tomorrow it could be another country. We declare no competing interests.