Table of Contents

  1. How to measure the plastic footprint?
  2. how much plastic waste is exported every year? Where is the waste flow of each country going? After Chinese plastic waste ban in 2017, the plastic waste flow shifts to which countries? Can we see that shift from the changing amount of the coastal litter in a waste imported country (by GIS or marine litter monitor platforms)?
  3. Avoiding waste import or improving waste management infrastructure? which one could be better in developing countries?
  4. What is the environmental impact of these abroad plastic waste on the local environmental? How to measure them?
  5. How much plastic leakage(or 'ocean plastic waste') will be induced due to plastic imports in those countries? Followed with how much emissions will be caused? (We have mapped plastic waste inputs from land into the ocean by each country(coastal countries), but we don’t connect it with plastic trade. Check the relationship between them. Do they only account for the production or consumption in a country.)
  6. if it is possible to measure Chinese plastic leakage, or counting for the transport and cloth sectors?/*
  7. Is it possible to measure or monitor Chinese coastal litter by GIS or marine litter monitor platforms set up by UN or other research institutes?

Background

Current low recycling rate of plastics is as low as 10% partly due to unmanaged waste burned or dumped far way.

Quesitons

The starting point： Globe waste or plastic trade
plastic waste flows are transferred from exported countries (developed countries) to imported countries (developing or underdeveloped countries) due to economic values.
A turning point: Chinese plastic waste ban in 2017, resulting in a new trading pattern in the world. More waste has been shifting to other Asian countries.
All these waste cause environmental problems in the imported countries. e.g. river pollution, marine litter, food security, etc.

It is confusing that waste import acts as an environmental satellite account instead of export. Thinking of this: which one is resulted from the demand?

  1. mapping the new plastic waste trade pattern in the world

Currently, how much plastic waste is shipping to imported countries?

  1. The end-of-life environmental impact of the plastic waste on the imported countries

  2. The impact of the plastic waste trade on the marine plastic pollution.

Methods and Data

  • Applications of IOA and LCA should be included, especially LCA.
  • IOA is much closed to the trade area, while LCA
    can be employed for various waste treatment management (energy recovery, landfill, and recycling)
  • Linking with UN plastic trade data.