In households across the U.S., people set aside newspapers, cardboard, glass jars, plastic bottles, and metal cans to be recycled. You may think all that waste is destined for a local recycling plant. But for nearly three decades, much of it was actually sold and transported all the way to China to be turned into new products. That changed in 2018, when China stopped accepting most plastic and paper recycling from foreign countries. Now, the U.S. and other countries are scrambling to figure out what to do with their waste.
In households across the U.S., people set aside items to recycle. They save newspapers, cardboard, glass jars, plastic bottles, and metal cans. You may think all that waste is headed for a local recycling plant. But for nearly three decades, much of it was sold and shipped all the way to China. There, it was turned into new products. That changed in 2018. China stopped accepting most plastic and paper recycling from foreign countries. Now the U.S. and other countries have to figure out what to do with their waste.