22 dicembre 2023 – Nel 2022 l’UE ha esportato più di un milione di tonnellate di rifiuti di plastica in Paesi dove solitamente finiscono per essere immersi nel mare o bruciati all’aria aperta: il 50 % è stato inviato in Paesi non facenti parte ell’OECD come La Malesia, il Vietnam, l’Indonesia e la Tailandia, mentre il 33 % è stato inviato in Turchia, secondo una ONG.

La bozza di accordo prevede, secondo la Commissione UE, la messa al bando dell’esportazione di rifiuti di plastica verso Paesi non OECD entro due anni e mezzo dall’entrata in vigore delle nuove disposizioni.

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Environmental groups have applauded a landmark political agreement reached at the EU level last month to ban the export of waste for disposal both inside and outside of Europe, saying it puts an end to “waste colonialism” from rich nations.

The European Parliament and the Council of EU member states reached a tentative deal on the waste shipment regulation on 17 November, and the full details of the agreement have now been made public.
Under the tentative deal, exporting plastic waste to non-OECD countries will be banned within 2.5 years of the regulation’s entry into force, according to the European Commission, the EU’s executive.
The new regulation was hailed as a victory by environmental groups, which have long campaigned to ban exports of plastic waste outside Europe.

In 2022, the EU exported more than one million tonnes of plastic waste to countries, where they usually end up being dumped or openly burned: 50% was shipped to non-OECD countries like Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Thailand, while 33% was shipped to Turkey alone, NGOs said.

“Many of us living in non-OECD countries face relentless illegal dumping, open burning, and microplastic pollution in the vicinity of plastic recycling facilities,” said Pui Yi Wong, a Malaysian campaigner with the Basel Action Network.