Spanish-owned paper recycling group Saica Natur has admitted in court to attempting to illegally send mixed waste to China and now faces an unlimited fine. As reported by the Daily Record newspaper, Saica Natur was seeking to export material that contained very high levels of contamination and breached international shipment regulations.

17 September 2021, Quezon City. The environmental health group EcoWaste Coalition renewed its call on the government and the industry to decisively act to solve the plasticization and toxification of the country and the planet due to unbridled plastics production, consumption and disposal.

South Africa recycles only 14% of its plastic waste – yet the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment is opening up applications for plastic waste import, all in the name of saving the plastic industry. As if South Africa wasn’t struggling to deal with its own plastic, the country is opening up applications for importing plastic waste in order to meet the plastic industry’s needs, the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) told Daily Maverick.

The measures taken by the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization to prevent dirty imported waste were the subject of complaints. Adana Plastic Recycling Industries complained about the last 5 regulations of the ministry with newspaper advertisements. Ministry officials evaluated the complaints in the advertisement to Hürriyet: “Sorry, Europe's polluted waste will not enter our country, pollute our air, water and soil.”

High logistics costs continue to dog global trade while EU traders await the new rules over exports to non-OECD countries. Plastic scrap trade from the European Union to non-OECD countries remains subject to the temporary notification process.

PESHAWAR: Despite the tiring efforts of the federal government to reduce the use of plastic and protect the environment, its use has increased across the country and annual import has crossed 36,651 metric tons. The federal government has sought recommendations from all the provincial governments because of the continuous rise in plastic use and its environmental impacts.

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?