Early in 2019, the EU exported about 150 000 tonnes of plastic waste per month – approximately half the volume of exports in 2015 and 2016, when exports went primarily to China and Hong Kong.
New bans and restrictions on imports by China are forcing the EU and countries to improve their own capacities to handle the waste at home, the European Environment Agency says.
The shrinking international market for plastics will probably increase landfil and incineration in the short term, it says, but should also “trigger investments” in capacity and systems to increase recycling and reuse of plastic waste.