2007 Volume 123 Issue 12 Pages 591-596
The current flow of international trade of recyclable waste and secondhand goods are reviewed. China is a major importer of metal scraps in Asia. Hazardous wastes are also traded for recovering metals. There are several problems related to international trade of recyclable waste. Some of wastes are recycled without environmentally sound technology, causing pollution problems. Some hazardous wastes or non-recyclables are exported for disposal, under the name of recyclables. On the other hand, the regulations to control international trade become a barrier to the activity of good recyclers, who comply the regulation, because the formal procedure to export and import hazardous waste takes a long time before shipment. To encourage the sound-material circulation society in Asia, it is important to tighten the enforcement of the Basel Convention, and to reduce the too high barrier for transboundary movement destined for recyclers with environmentally sound technologies.
