China: the plastic leader As the leading manufacturing economy and exporter of goods in the world, it is not surprising that China is the world's largest producer of plastic as well.

China was the primary importer of plastic waste exported from the U.S. until late 2017, when China implemented a ban on the import of secondary materials, focusing on plastic and paper materials.

Waste trade is the international trade of waste between countries for further treatment, disposal, or recycling. Often, toxic or hazardous wastes are exported by developed countries to developing countries, such as those in Asia Pacific.

But then, in 2018, China cut off plastic imports. Now, America is coming to terms with a hard truth: Plastic was never designed to be recycled and there's no profitable way to recycle 91% of it. The environmental impacts have been disastrous.