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When China Said “No” to the West’s Garbage: The 2018 Waste Ban That Shook the World [img]https://abs-0.twimg.com/emoji/v2/svg/267b.svg[/img][img]https://abs-0.twimg.com/emoji/v2/svg/1f6ab.svg[/img]
1/
For decades, Western nations shipped millions of tons of plastic waste to China, outsourcing both pollution and responsibility.
China processed nearly half of the world’s recyclable waste - often under dangerous, low-margin conditions.
In 2018, that ended.
2/
China’s “National Sword” policy banned imports of 24 types of solid waste, including low-quality plastics and mixed paper.
The reason?
→ Environmental degradation
→ Health risks for workers
→ Rising domestic awareness of ecological rights
It was China saying: Clean up your own mess.
3/
The West wasn’t ready.
• The U.S. had no infrastructure to process its own waste.
• Europe’s recycling rate collapsed, as waste piled up.
• Countries like Malaysia, Vietnam, and Indonesia were suddenly flooded with Western trash - creating new environmental crises.
The system cracked.
4/
Some nations tried to re-export waste to poorer countries. Others admitted they had been “wishcycling” — pretending to recycle, while dumping overseas.
And just like that, the illusion of Western “green virtue” was shattered.
Turns out, “recycling” was just offshoring guilt.
5/
Since then, global recycling has struggled to adapt.
Meanwhile, China began investing in its own circular economy - with stricter domestic recycling, green tech, and saying “no” to being the world’s trash bin.
Moral of the story?
Environmental justice begins with accountability.
And in 2018, China forced the world to face its own filth.
https://x.com/OopsGuess/status/1924004815283290196 
When China Said “No” to the West’s Garbage: The 2018 Waste Ban That Shook the Worldเมื่อไหร่รัฐบาลไทยจะทำบ้าง
1/
For decades, Western nations shipped millions of tons of plastic waste to China, outsourcing both pollution and responsibility.
China processed nearly half of the world’s recyclable waste - often under dangerous, low-margin conditions.
In 2018, that ended.
2/
China’s “National Sword” policy banned imports of 24 types of solid waste, including low-quality plastics and mixed paper.
The reason?
→ Environmental degradation
→ Health risks for workers
→ Rising domestic awareness of ecological rights
It was China saying: Clean up your own mess.
3/
The West wasn’t ready.
• The U.S. had no infrastructure to process its own waste.
• Europe’s recycling rate collapsed, as waste piled up.
• Countries like Malaysia, Vietnam, and Indonesia were suddenly flooded with Western trash - creating new environmental crises.
The system cracked.
4/
Some nations tried to re-export waste to poorer countries. Others admitted they had been “wishcycling” — pretending to recycle, while dumping overseas.
And just like that, the illusion of Western “green virtue” was shattered.
Turns out, “recycling” was just offshoring guilt.
5/
Since then, global recycling has struggled to adapt.
Meanwhile, China began investing in its own circular economy - with stricter domestic recycling, green tech, and saying “no” to being the world’s trash bin.
Moral of the story?
Environmental justice begins with accountability.
And in 2018, China forced the world to face its own filth.
https://x.com/OopsGuess/status/1924004815283290196