By doing so, it's saved millions of tonnes of resources and indirectly funded thousands of recycling programmes and companies globally. As a result, recycling programmes and companies around the world are scrambling to find new destinations for the junk they once sent to China. After all, while environmental concerns have driven the expansion of recycling programmes throughout the developed world, what goes into the blue bin is also manufacturing feedstock. For example, Mitsubishi Materials is investing over US$100 million in precious metals refining plants devoted to electronics and -- looking to the future -- lithium-ion car batteries. While no one programme will suffice to make up for the loss of China's recycling capacity, not investing at all would be a true waste.

Source: Bangkok Post October 09, 2017 21:33 UTC