A San Diego lawmaker’s bill to ensure only actually recycled plastics count toward the state’s recycling goals passed the Assembly Wednesday and now heads to the governor’s desk.

Illegal waste imports abound in Romania, masquerading as raw material transfer in the EU. In 2021, 3,700 tons of illegal waste were imported to Romania.

Last Monday, members of the Anti-Plastic Scrap Citizen's Network submitted a petition to the environmental minister. The petition demanded the government impose a ban on the import of plastic scrap by the end of this year. It was signed by 108 civil society organisations (CSOs) and individuals, and a change.org petition was signed by 32,000 people, supporting the ban on imported plastic scrap.

The import of “plastic waste” would hamper the state’s efforts to tackle plastic waste in the country while jeopardizing the local recycling business, the group reasons. The network, led by EARTH and the Saleng and Junk Shop Association, has submitted a letter to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment calling for an end of the plastic waste import by this year. Over 108 CSOs and 32,000 supporters have signed through an online campaign in support of their move.

WASHINGTON— The Center for Biological Diversity sued the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today for failing to regulate a common plastic — polyvinyl chloride (commonly called PVC or vinyl) — as hazardous waste. PVC is one of the most widely used and discarded forms of plastic, yet numerous studies have found it’s highly toxic to human health and the environment.

SHAH ALAM (Bernama): A plastic recycling factory in the Bandar Sultan Sulaiman industrial area in Port Klang, near here, caught fire Wednesday (Aug 11) night, with about 90% of the structure razed.

Following the release of new data on the quantity of New Zealand’s plastic waste exports to many developing nations, Greenpeace Aotearoa is renewing its call for a ban on plastic waste exports.

At the present rate, the levels of plastic emissions globally are likely to initiate effects that humanity will not be able to reverse. New research finds plastic pollution to be a global threat. The report also signals that unless actions are taken to reduce emissions of plastic to the environment, then the consequences for the planet will be catastrophic.

More than 100 environmental groups have called on the government to prohibit the import of plastic waste and instead encourage the use of domestic plastic waste for recycling as a way to safeguard the environment and promote the circular economy.

TerraCycle recycles everything from Solo cups to Febreze canisters, but are they doing more harm than good?

The extent of the suspected illegal shipment of waste to Poland, which became known at the beginning of June, is becoming more concrete.

To generate extra income, farmers in Tambon Khok Sa-at in Kalasin have been collecting and separating discarded electronic products, or e-waste, in between harvests since 1996. The practice has often brought them more income than farming. But along with the extra cash came illnesses attributed to prolonged exposure to toxic substances.

In January 2018, China banned the import of 24 types of waste including plastic. This policy, known as National Sword, had significant ramifications for Southeast Asia, as many developed countries sought alternative destinations for their waste. Three years later, what is the state of waste importing in the region?

GEORGE TOWN – As waste from developed countries continues to arrive in Malaysia for “recycling”, heightening contamination risks, questions are being raised as to why we should maintain a policy allowing in rubbish from just anywhere.

A regulatory amendment to the government’s International Waste Shipment regulations means some ‘green list’ plastic waste can be exported to non-OECD countries. The amendment yesterday (29 July) comes after Defra carried out a ‘write around’ consultation process to agree the controls required by non-OECD competent authorities for ‘green list’ plastic classed as B3011.

Poland's government is cracking down on illegal waste shipments and proposing new laws to toughen penalties for environmental crimes.

A nonprofit environmental organization is suing TerraCycle and several major brands, saying the companies are misleading consumers about the recyclability of their products through mail-in collection programs. TerraCycle’s CEO discussed the company’s labeling in an interview. The Last Beach Cleanup on March 4 filed the civil complaint in the Superior Court of California, County of Alameda. It centers on recyclability claims in product labeling.

Unread newspapers, corrugated sheets discarded after unwrapping electronic gadgets, tissue or milk cartons from British homes arrive, tightly packed, at Indian factories in a growing stream. They are pulped and remade into fresh paper to meet India’s growing demand for it. Paper waste is sometimes seen as a shining example of how things can be almost endlessly recycled. But it is in fact a new example of a product exported to pollute distant parts of the world, environmental activists say, moving and reshaping waste to skirt regulations.

On 23 July, a jury at Wood Green Crown Court, London found Biffa Waste Services Ltd guilty on four counts relating to the export of waste paper for recovery to India and Indonesia. In a statement yesterday evening, Biffa reasoned that no public interest had been served in bringing the legal action as the case had established that the paper the company sent for export was over 99% pure.

“It’s our waste, it’s our problem”, said Scott Morrison as he announced the nation’s waste export ban culminating in 2024. Not really. It’s a good thing Australia has banned solid waste dumping to the Third World but we have left a gaping, toxic loophole; burning plastics for energy. Luke Stacey investigates.