Exported plastic waste from Europe pollutes Vietnam, research reveals

A research led by Kaustubh Thapa, a PhD researcher from Utrecht University, the Netherlands, found a large percentage of exported European plastic waste that cannot be recycled is disposed of in Vietnam, harming the environment and people who live there.

Research found that a large percentage of exported European plastic waste was ended up in Vietnam. (Source: Kaustubh Thapa)

About half of European’s plastic waste is exported to countries in the Global South, including Vietnam. Research team from Utrecht University visited Minh Khai Craft Village, the largest recycling hub in Vietnam, to study the recycling path of European plastic waste.

According to the research, seven million liters of toxic wastewater is disposed of into the waterways of the village daily. This shifted producer responsibility of waste management causes harm to people, communities and the environment of the village.

“Focusing on increasing recycling rates in the EU without systematically tackling the associated human and environmental harm throughout the entire value chain is neither ethical, circular nor sustainable,” explained Kaustubh Thapa.

Currently, the United Nation is negotiating for an international plastics treaty. Thapa’s research reveals the striking contrast between Vietnamese and European policies and the reality in recycling hubs in the Global South.

However, the researchers believe that outsourcing plastic waste for recycling remains a possibility in a sustainable way.

Thapa concluded that the European Green New Deal, Circular Economy Action Plan, and the ongoing UN talks about a legally binding Global Plastics Treaty may help to improve the situation while waste trade for recycling must be tackled on a systematic level.