EU agrees to ban exports of waste plastic to poor countries
GuardianNov 17, 2023
The Facts
EU legislators and member states have agreed to ban the export of plastic waste to nations outside the OECD — a bloc made up primarily of wealthy countries. The ban, which will begin in the middle of 2026, was reached as world leaders gathered in Nairobi, Kenya, to negotiate a global treaty on plastic pollution.
The Parliament said, "Exports of certain non-hazardous wastes and mixtures of non-hazardous wastes [...] will be allowed only to those non-OECD countries that consent and fulfill the criteria to treat such waste in an environmentally sound manner."
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
This development indicates that the EU is beginning to acknowledge its role in the global plastic pollution crisis. By banning its exports to non-OECD nations, the bloc is assuming responsibility for its own waste. Only when non-OECD countries demonstrate that they adhere to certain social and environmental standards will EU even consider resuming the exportation of some non-plastic types of trash.
Establishment-critical narrative
The EU's decision to regulate its plastic garbage exports coincided with a growing number of global south nations banning their imports of the same rubbish. China set the example in 2018 and several nations have since followed suit, blocking the import of plastic garbage from the European Union. The bloc has not made a pioneering move — it was forced to this point by other nations tackling this kind of waste colonialism.