America’s Biggest Trash Hauler Stops Shipping Plastic To Poor Countries

"After months of global outcry over the United States’ role in the plastic pollution crisis, companies that collect and dispose of waste are trying to clamp down on the amount of American refuse that gets dumped in poorer countries.  

Waste Management Inc., the nation’s largest trash hauler, is no longer shipping discarded plastic to countries outside North America. This week, Greenpeace confirmed the policy change, which went into effect in August, deeming it “the right call.” Several other large trash companies have also said they won’t export plastics.

“Companies should not be exporting plastic waste for other countries to clean up our mess,” John Hocevar, Greenpeace USA’s oceans campaign director, said in a statement released Wednesday. “The U.S. is offloading plastic onto countries with poor waste management in hopes of pushing our pollution crisis out of sight, but this only shifts the burden to others that lack the capacity to deal with it.”"

Catharine Smith reports for HuffPost October 19, 2019.

Source: HuffPost, 10/21/2019