Since the implementation of China’s waste import ban, more communities across the U.S. are looking for alternative ways to handle their recycled materials. But as municipalities continue to struggle with adapting to China’s regulations, more recyclables end up in landfills or are burned in large volumes at incineration facilities.
According to a report in The Guardian, “this new reality risks an increase of plumes of toxic pollution that threaten the largely black and Latino communities who live near heavy industry and dumping sites in the U.S.” And some experts worry that burning plastic recycling will create a new fog of dioxins that will worsen health situations in these communities.
