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It seems at least one first world country is sending recycling waste to developing countries for supposed processing http://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-05-22/malay

It seems at least one first world country is sending recycling waste to developing countries for supposed processing http://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-05-22/malaysia-flooded-with-plastic-waste-to-send-scrap-back/11136322 http://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-05-22/malaysia-flooded-with-...

TazeTSchnitzel 7y ago
There's also a problem that a lot of this smuggling may be illegal (not willingly accepted by other countries under their laws) and fraudulent (done instead of real recycling). So the statistics we have about the destination of recycling and general waste may be wrong.
nineteen999 7y ago
Yes it is becoming a real problem here in Australia. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-01-11/australias-recycling-crisis-one-year-on-whats-changed/10701418 https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-01-11/australias-recycling-... And just recently we started sending recycling to landfill in many places: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-08-06/councils-sending-thousands-of-tonnes-of-recycling-to-landfill/11385458 https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-08-06/councils-sending-thou... Historically we've "outsourced" our recycling problem to Asian nations rather than develop or implement solutions at home, and unfortunately now our chickens are coming home to roost.
- photojosh 7y ago
  > rather than develop or implement solutions at home I find this absolutely infuriating... it's the perfect job to give to the CSIRO (our public scientific research organisation) and provide government grants to get local recycling off the ground. There's so much talk around "supporting local industry", but when decisions are actually made, they use overseas suppliers 9 times out of 10.
  - nineteen999 7y ago
    Agreed. I mean if we look at the CSIRO's list of achievements: https://www.csiro.au/en/About/History-achievements/Top-10-inventions https://www.csiro.au/en/About/History-achievements/Top-10-in... and considering the defunding that has been going on, particularly with respect to climate change: https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/csiro-australia-to-suffer-for-ignorance-on-research-20160207-gmno7t.html https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/csiro-australia-... It really is a sad picture indeed.
AlexDragusin 7y ago
Another one being the Philippines - Canada case https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/23/world/asia/philippines-canada-trash.html https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/23/world/asia/philippines-ca...
- matt-snider 7y ago
  Is the issue in Canada similar to what the sibling describes in Australia - insufficient recycling infrastructure?

TazeTSchnitzel 7y ago

There's also a problem that a lot of this smuggling may be illegal (not willingly accepted by other countries under their laws) and fraudulent (done instead of real recycling). So the statistics we have about the destination of recycling and general waste may be wrong.

nineteen999 7y ago

Yes it is becoming a real problem here in Australia. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-01-11/australias-recycling-crisis-one-year-on-whats-changed/10701418 https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-01-11/australias-recycling-... And just recently we started sending recycling to landfill in many places: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-08-06/councils-sending-thousands-of-tonnes-of-recycling-to-landfill/11385458 https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-08-06/councils-sending-thou... Historically we've "outsourced" our recycling problem to Asian nations rather than develop or implement solutions at home, and unfortunately now our chickens are coming home to roost.

photojosh 7y ago
> rather than develop or implement solutions at home I find this absolutely infuriating... it's the perfect job to give to the CSIRO (our public scientific research organisation) and provide government grants to get local recycling off the ground. There's so much talk around "supporting local industry", but when decisions are actually made, they use overseas suppliers 9 times out of 10.
- nineteen999 7y ago
  Agreed. I mean if we look at the CSIRO's list of achievements: https://www.csiro.au/en/About/History-achievements/Top-10-inventions https://www.csiro.au/en/About/History-achievements/Top-10-in... and considering the defunding that has been going on, particularly with respect to climate change: https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/csiro-australia-to-suffer-for-ignorance-on-research-20160207-gmno7t.html https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/csiro-australia-... It really is a sad picture indeed.

AlexDragusin 7y ago

Another one being the Philippines - Canada case https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/23/world/asia/philippines-canada-trash.html https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/23/world/asia/philippines-ca...

matt-snider 7y ago
Is the issue in Canada similar to what the sibling describes in Australia - insufficient recycling infrastructure?