As global concern over plastic pollution intensifies, a growing share of the problem is tied not to where waste is discarded, but where it begins.

Germany was the world’s largest plastic waste exporter in 2025, sending more than 810,000 tons abroad, mainly to Turkey, Malaysia, and Indonesia. These recipient countries have faced illegal dumping, ...

It's easy to think of recycling as the solution to plastic pollution, but the vast majority of plastic waste now ends up in landfills, or worse.

Between 2018 and 2021, when China pivoted from being a major waste importer to banning the trade altogether (and stopped reporting import numbers). In 2025, plastic waste trade da ...

Ever wondered where your plastics end up? A PET bottle can be washed, shredded, melted and given a second life. But most ...

ASEAN has become an attractive destination for petrochemical expansion and plastic waste exports, given its proximity to China and regional appetite for foreign investment. This will come at high ...

A section of River Nadarugu clogged by plastic bottles near Lake Nakuru National Park in Nakuru on June 5, 2021. [Kipsang Joseph, Standard] The waste management sector contributes significantly to the ...