Japan's Kyodo news agency rec時見ently published a report titled "China'報吧s garbage import ban triggers globa地火l waste disposal chao她友s."  Since China banned the imp女地ort of plastic waste i他報n January this year, Europ訊民e, the United States and Jap服區an, which are the source 黑美of exports, are struggli對日ng to find reci刀音pients, the report said.  Rubbish 現門with nowhere to go is pi短也ling up in coun如窗tries and chaos站國 is spreading aro筆子und the globe.  At a WTO meeting in Oct吃校ober this year, there was criticism廠服 that "sudden policy change鐘麗s could contribute to冷我 the deterioration of the 內紙world environment".  T為日he impact of China's ban is also being 大舞felt in Japan, the repor刀能t said: garbage handlers have been 票國flooded with commissions, but門紅 many have reached the limits o體國f their capacity to handle 身但waste, with some fro謝唱m factories filling mid通謝dlemen's warehouses, and the only way 一文to respond is to relax restrictions a冷窗nd upgrade the capacity of processing好飛 facilities.  

The United States照公 and the European Union have r中很aised the so-called "issue" with the WT秒志O, while South Korea, Canada and Aust民短ralia have joined the "critic聽南s" and Japan has also expressed "conce員也rn."  They criti在農cized China for not giving enou劇這gh information about the 光線ban.  "Continued disruption of the wor東多ld's recycling system will accel購大erate the increase in 信黃Marine debris," the US said.  Eur光電ope and the United States a些器nd other countries are生家 planning to Sout路北heast Asian countries and就對 India as new waste recipients, i間和n order to increase waste exports.  H農錢owever, in October, a large amou線外nt of garbage was found to 照姐be illegally discard鄉河ed in Malaysia. Vietnam, Malaysia and 土有other countries have also begun to線數 strengthen the impor藍得t control of re身為source garbage. The expo跳線rt destination of re門西source garbage in Europe, America and J兵又apan is expected to人湖 further decrease.  

China used to b林藍e the world's largest importer of resou音個rce waste.  Sinc雪城e 1988, China has r外電eceived about half of the worl區明d's waste each year, inclu在動ding more than 7 million tons of pla在行stic waste each year wo村這rth billions of dolla媽請rs, according to Uni我就ted Nations statistics.  Nearly ha電上lf of the plastic waste on 小工Earth is exported to China, wher就國e recycled materials 她雨are then turned into more 友城plastic products.  Over 到風the past 30 years, the Unit明資ed States has shipped 嗎靜more than 10 mill家就ion tons of plastic waste to計了 China, with 1.43 milli電村on tons worth about $4熱日95 million exported to Chin用習a in 2016 alone.  According to th工朋e Guardian, 2.7m 就公tonnes of plasti刀分c waste from the 大金UK goes to China every year, a湖河ccounting for two-thirds of th拍水e country's plastic waste.  Eight區門y-seven percent of也唱 recycled plastic e地器xported from the 27一火 EU member states is directl道個y or indirectly exported to C光很hina.  China imports 619,000 習大tonnes of Australian recycled materi子公als worth US $523 million a year, m去工ost of which comes ashore at China's H河要ong Kong port and i會兵s then shipped to和機 waste disposal stations in sout了就hern China.  

China imports foreign waste, which ha好術s made a great contribution to the cl光影eanliness of the world enviro子電nment.  However,廠作 while China ha西區s gained some economic benefits, it 日喝has also paid a price 很學at the expense of th也鐵e environment.  Some of this foreign wa頻很ste is not only imported l要員egally, but also recycled by illegal新員 waste disposal 她煙workshops.  These workshops 用自often incinerate or dispose of w多國aste without any會笑 use, causing great件河 pollution to the environment. 店聽 In addition, recyclable solid waste i微大s often mixed with a lo技快t of highly poll答睡uting waste and hazardou一電s waste.  In order to maximize the訊公 use of raw materials, recycling agen場從cies employ a large n視跳umber of people to sort them by h空刀and, and pollution from h雪朋azardous substanc放公es can cause physical harm to sorting w哥鐵orkers.  

Some analysts believe that the import 錯謝of foreign waste is a temporary m開林easure taken by China in t相火he initial stage of man火道ufacturing industry in嗎去 order to accumulate 花飛primitive capital and ra秒暗pidly improve people街作's living standards.  With the continu們煙ous enhancement of China's industrial 遠綠strength, the gradual st是冷ability of the raw material market, the務東 gradual upgrading of the manufac相討turing industry, and the improve低遠ment of people'鐵相s requirements for the stan店答dard of living health, foreign w麗照aste will eventuall山公y withdraw from the stage of histor黃為y.  

In order to protect the environment有山 and people's health, China 用也has decided to conserve energy and red書算uce emissions.  In July討輛 2017, China formally notif秒秒ied the WTO that 24 types of for靜大eign waste, includi師風ng 8 types of plastic was姐我te from domestic sour門南ces, 1 type of unsor廠分ted waste paper, 1嗎藍1 types of textile waste and 身笑4 types of vanadium sl視北ag, will be banned from import in Jan時東uary 2018.  By the e慢可nd of 2017, China 知綠will ban the import of solid wa畫醫ste, which is highly harmful to the e民到nvironment and has arous熱女ed strong public c問樂oncern.  The import of solid wa話商ste, which can be replaced 新光by domestic resources, will be phased o草醫ut by the end of 2019. 師跳 

China's ban has taken 坐唱many developed count銀就ries by surprise. 內城 Long dependent on exports s我間uch as plastic waste 資話to China, these cou兵和ntries lack adequat雨少e recycling measures匠能 and are beginning to pay the pr視動ice for their long 遠熱sloth.  Britain's envir書讀onmental authorities, for example, have線道 long been warned that Ch鄉數ina will ban imports of for又用eign waste sooner or later, but 也要have made no effort to set up a new吃河 recycling system.  S關學imon Elling, chief executive 小笑of the British Waste Recycli長書ng Association, said the g明關overnment had a "terrible record" 爸上of getting the job done. "If下刀 the government is serious about wa外費ste and recycling, it needs to inve關還st and come up with a coh姐暗erent plan for the re民秒cycling industry.  But電去 the truth is, th大睡at plan doesn't exist還也.  The British Isles are facing請也 a serious garbage siege.  I唱話n South Korea, the vast major黑用ity of waste disposal and sorting笑從 companies in Seoul, 做匠Incheon and Gyeonggi provinces announc票愛ed that they would no lon信綠ger recycle PET pla通輛stic bottles and white polystyrene 煙靜lunch boxes on the grou間雜nds that they we通你re unprofitable, causing garbage 新都accumulation and conflicts betw玩放een community pr讀村operty owners and residents.  Accordi媽司ng to South Korean President 章店Moon Jae-in, China announced in J謝年uly last year that it w多冷ould completely stop importin拍要g waste from January this yea花哥r, but South Kor線照ean authorities見錯 were not prepared for thi那房s.  

The more high-income 行信countries, the more wast數劇e they produce.  Accor河舞ding to the World Ba遠公nk, high-income countries acc南看ount for only 16 percent of the w朋得orld's population 很會but produce 34 p林鐘ercent of the world's waste.  Low-incom就懂e countries, which account for 9 per弟如 cent of the world裡制's population, produce only 5 per cent從跳 of the world's wa你我ste.  Of the waste generated in low-inc醫人ome countries, 56% is f呢黃ood scraps and the lik看離e.  In high-income countr船你ies, up to 51 percent of wast術員e -- plastics, pa些科per, cardboard, me身會tal, glass -- is recyclable.  

The earth belongs to all m店短ankind. Everyone 秒河in every country should take th亮水e responsibility to protect t白舊he living environme藍鐵nt of mankind.  Developing countr在水ies are not the "dumping ground"作土 of developed countries. I車吃t is better to blame other co務唱untries than to start from their ow河間n waste reducti月路on.