Here's Why China Is Killing The Global Recycling Industry

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China has been the leader of the recycling industry for over 30 years, importing materials more than any country in the world and making billions of dollars in the process. But recently, the Chinese government took a tougher stance on recycling, effectively disrupting the global recycling industry. More importantly, China's decision has caused major problems for many Western countries, since they were the ones exporting millions of tons of recyclable waste to China.

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#China #Recycling #History

[xlyoutube]

When your hands are always clean, it only means that someone else is doing all your dirty works for you.

[poodlescone]

West: Give workers better working conditions!

Also West: What do you mean you will stop sorting our garbage with cheap labor!?

[Perifroog]

*Canada introduces initiatives to reduce waste*

Also Canada: Tries to dump waste in Phillipines but is forced to accept it back

[jksharma]

Nothing wrong in China stopping import of waste when it has it's own enough waste.

[jimglass]

I was chairman of a national recycling association for several years from 2009 on. I have also built and run one of the state of the art optical sorting MRF plants.
China allowed recycling to explode world wide, however recyclers recognised the Chinese would someday close their doors.
Despite lobbying our councils and government 10 years ago to develop industries that can process the collected packaging we were ignored.
Ideallists demanded 100% recycling efficiency from such systems, blocking progress even if 95% was achieved. Misguided people who treat their environmental views as a belief structure, like a religion, continuously disbelieve hard factual evidence because it does not suit the narrative.
As a result, world wide, progress is roadblocked by well intentioned passionate people who want perfection rather than, what can be done right now.

[blueskies]

I paid this unemployed guy to clean my house every week. The house had asbestos, but he cleaned it and got sick anyway because he needed the money. One week, he got a decent desk job and said he didn't want to clean my house anymore. Why is he ruining the cleanliness of my house?

[Floatian]

Reporters (10 years ago): China is the most polluted country in the world.
Reporters (now): China refuses to take more trashes!

[luisgamez]

Why is it up to the consumer to be the responsible ones to recycle? I say it's also on the companies that profit from selling products that can be recycled. These companies should fork up some capital to find solutions to the waste problem.

[ioan_jivan]

Wow. This video is 2 years late, with a misleading title and from a pretty weird perspective. You don't have to read a lot to reach the idea that the Chinese people were indeed suffering from this thrash trade, and now many citizens of other countries will suffer if it is not implemented properly (a very difficult thing to do). I really expected more from this channel, but it seems like every video that involves China comes from a limited, maybe too American perspective.

[anitahsiao]

7/26/19 I beg your pardon ! China did not kill “Global Recycling “ !
In fact, China has most strict rules on recycling own waste. In order to improve China’s environment, China must stop accepting waste from other countries !
I am sure that every country has the ability and responsibility to process his own waste !

[choisamwon]

Recycling is big business and hope all western countries import waste products and rubbish from developing countries !

[bachngo]

Wait so isn’t China making the world better because now the world have to think of solutions like what Canada or Vietnam did

Edit: Ok after a few weeks and checking back in and HOW I GOT 500 LIKES AND LIKE SO MANY COMMENTS,

[humblesoldier]

China: No thank you we don't want your recycling anymore
The world: Surprised, and freaking out Pikachu.

[eslante]

it's kinda funny how big countries shaking each other's hand while also pointing gun to each other

[stankygeorge]

Until I was a teenager, we had paper straws, returnable bottles (for every liquid)! There was little fast food, people ate their meals either at home or in restaurants. We can easily go back to those practices and eliminate eighty percent of our waste! Oh yeah, we drank water from the faucet!

[paris]

Years ago, In order to persuade consumers to accept plastic instead of paper bags (and soothe the minds of the environmentally conscience), we were told "It's OK. They're *biodegradable*".
Maybe we should hold whoever sold that line of horseshit accountable.

[bobyoung]

China's shift away from imported recyclables was swift and far-reaching, but as others here have noted, it was not the result of political competition so much as an immediate reflection of that nation's economic evolution. They now generate enough recyclables to supply themselves.

[oshguru]

If you produce the garbage you deal with it yourself. Don’t pass your dirty work to someone else.

[emmanuelufot]

What kind of a click bait is this?
We blame China for massive pollution and they stop collecting waste we complain 🤦‍♂️

[paulnelson]

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