Behind the glorious industrialization process of China, there has been a tortuous experience - the history of "foreign garbage" imports. In the 80s and 90s of the 20th century, the rapid rise of China's economy and the deepening of international exchanges made the mainland once the main recipient of the world's "foreign garbage". The "foreign garbage" here covers domestic garbage, electronic waste and other solid wastes transported from western developed countries.
At that time, the mainland's manufacturing industry was booming, and the demand for raw materials was growing exponentially. Limited by the relatively backward industrial system, the mainland has adopted the strategy of "waste reuse", introducing a large number of "foreign garbage" to reduce costs and meet the demand for raw materials. In this process, copper, aluminum, tin and other metals extracted from waste electronic products, and even some obsolete military equipment components, are transformed into valuable secondary resources, which not only meet the needs of industrial development, but also provide materials for technological innovation.
Western developed countries have embraced the mainland's demand for "foreign waste" because of the high cost of disposing of it domestically and the economical need to export it to China. As a result, the "foreign garbage" trade has not only formed a mutually beneficial situation, but also given birth to a pillar industry with this as the core in some parts of China. Guiyu Town, Shantou, Guangdong Province, is a case in point, with an annual economic output of more than 5 billion yuan by treating e-waste, but behind the prosperity is the shocking environmental pollution and ecological damage, which has led to the town being labeled as "the world's most toxic place" and "cancer village".
However, with the passage of time, the mainland has gradually realized the huge environmental and health risks brought about by "foreign garbage". In particular, Guiyu Town and other places have adopted primitive and backward incineration, pickling and other methods to extract useful substances, resulting in serious pollution of local soil and water sources by heavy metals, devastating damage to the ecosystem, worrying about the health of residents, widespread lead poisoning in children, and heavy costs to the ecological environment and people's health.
In 2017, the Chinese government deeply reflected on and decided to change this situation. Since 2018, the mainland has officially implemented a strict policy of restricting the import of foreign garbage, expanding the types of solid waste prohibited from import year by year, and clearly proposing to achieve the goal of zero import of foreign garbage by the end of 2020. Practice has proved that the mainland's foreign garbage imports have dropped significantly, and by the end of 2020, waste imports have almost zero, and the import of recycled pulp, plastics and other raw materials that meet environmental standards has been increased.
With the mainland's rejection of foreign garbage, the entire industrial chain has undergone fundamental changes. Enterprises that relied on simple and crude recycling models in the past are facing the pressure of transformation and upgrading, with some small recycling companies leaving the market, and more companies taking the opportunity to innovate and enter the track of standardized and sustainable development. In the past, the small-scale workshop-style operation of Guiyu Town gradually withdrew from the historical stage, and was replaced by a green, environmentally friendly, orderly and efficient industrial park.
Although China refused to accept foreign garbage, this did not end the global circulation of foreign garbage. Western developed countries have turned their attention to developing countries such as Africa and India in an attempt to divert the pressure on waste disposal. However, as more and more developing countries have introduced bans on foreign garbage, Western countries themselves are facing the problem of insufficient waste disposal capacity. Gone are the days when it was easy to export garbage, and they have to face the real challenge of the rising cost of garbage sorting and recycling.
Sri Lanka Customs, for example, returned a shipment of foreign waste from the UK because it had been imported with a large amount of non-recyclable medical waste mixed into used mattresses and blankets. Developed countries such as the United States and Japan, behind enjoying a "clean" environment for many years, actually maintain their appearance by exporting garbage to other countries. When China completely closed its doors to foreign garbage, the problem of urban cleanliness in these countries became more and more prominent, and the scenes of garbage piling up in the streets and alleys reminded them that short-term economic growth at the expense of the environment is not a long-term solution.
China's move from importing foreign garbage to a total ban marks the mainland's awakening to environmental awareness and a powerful response to global injustice. The current dilemma of waste disposal faced by Western countries is the inevitable result of their long-term neglect of environmental protection and evasion of responsibility. The mainland's choice is undoubtedly a firm practice of the concept that "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets", and it is also a strong signal to the world: economic development should not be at the expense of the environment and public health, and only by achieving green development can we ensure the sustainable survival and development of human society. In this global battle to protect the environment, China has refused to act as a "garbage dump" for developed countries, and has resolutely embarked on a fairer and more sustainable development path.