■ Research Overview
○ A research team led by Professor Ellen Consaydine at the University of Colorado Boulder in the United States has published research analyzing the impact of overseas plastic waste incineration on air pollution.
○ The research team used satellite observation data and ship location tracking data to track where imported plastic waste was transported and how much air pollution was generated during incineration.
○ The research background includes China's 2018 ban on waste imports. From 1992 to 2016, China accounted for 45% of global plastic waste imports, but after the ban, waste flows shifted to Southeast Asian countries including Indonesia.
■ Key Research Findings
○ After China's import ban in 2018-2019, fine particulate matter (PM) concentrations around Indonesia's large open-air waste landfills increased by an average of 3.3%. The maximum increase reached 1.68 μg/m³.
○ This level of fine particulate matter increase is estimated to raise the mortality risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), lung cancer, and lower respiratory tract infections by 1.5%, 1.9%, and 3.5%, respectively.
○ When plastic is burned, carbon monoxide, styrene gas, hydrogen cyanide, as well as persistent organic pollutants such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and dioxins are emitted. Ash from incineration contaminates soil and groundwater, creating additional pathways for human exposure through food and drinking water.
■ Current Status of International Waste Trade
○ According to 2024 UN trade data, global plastic waste imports reported total 9.34 million tons. In low- and lower-middle-income countries, 40-65% of total household waste is burned in open-air. This is because approximately 2 billion people worldwide do not have access to public waste collection services.
○ Indonesia switched to a net importer in 2018, with major sources of incoming waste being Western Europe, Australia, and North America. As of 2020, 48% of plastic waste in Indonesia is estimated to be treated through open-air burning.
■ Import Regulations and International Agreement Trends by Country
○ Indonesia limited non-hazardous waste imports to 15 ports in 2021 and will completely ban plastic waste imports in 2025.
○ Malaysia will strengthen regulations mid-2025 to allow imports of plastic waste only from countries that have ratified the Basel Convention. As the United States has not ratified the convention, its exports are effectively blocked.
○ The EU prohibited plastic waste exports to non-OECD member countries through new waste transportation regulations in mid-2024. This ban applies from November 2026 to at least May 2029.
○ Separately, UN-led negotiations for an international plastic pollution treaty are currently at an impasse.
■ Reduction Measures
○ As of 2021, the United States' domestic plastic waste recycling rate is only 5-6%, and even if recycling facility capacity in the U.S. and Canada is maximized, the recycling rate is estimated to reach only 7-9%.
○ Experts propose standardizing packaging design, introducing a circular system that recovers and reuses packaging, and imposing extended producer responsibility (EPR) fees on difficult-to-recycle products to improve recycling rates.
○ Since 2021, seven U.S. states including Maine, Oregon, California, Colorado, Minnesota, Washington, and Maryland have introduced packaging EPR legislation, but it is expected to take time for substantive effects to appear.
■ Terminology
* Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD): A chronic lung disease in which breathing becomes persistently difficult due to airway obstruction, typically caused by long-term inhalation of pollutants or harmful gases.
* Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH): A chemical substance generated from incomplete combustion of organic matter that is carcinogenic and is one of the persistent organic pollutants that contaminate soil and water quality.
* Basel Convention: An international agreement adopted in 1989 that regulates the transboundary movement and disposal of hazardous waste.
* Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR): A policy system that requires manufacturers to bear the costs and responsibility of waste disposal throughout the product's entire lifecycle.
