Tom Hancock, China's Recyclers Left Idle by Waste Import Ban. Financial Times, Jan 16, 2018.
Quote:
(a) "For years the smell of melted plastic permeated the Chinese village of Luwang
(b) "* * *ZHENG Min, who was guarding the village's government office in east China's Shandong province. Government inspectors swept through the village last May, he added, shutting its recycling companies.
" 'All our development has been dependent on plastic. Some people made millions from recycling and developed large companies. Now it's all gone. I never expected the government to take such measures, ' he added.
"This month China began enforcing rules banning the import of 24 grades of solid waste, including mixed paper and plastics.
(c) "The Local government paid villagers a subsidy worth 30 per cent of the cost of their equipment in return for closing, said Mr Zheng.
Workers " 'now have to leave the village to find paid work. They will earn Rmb2,000-3,000 ($310-465) a month, compared with Rmb5,000-10,000 a month before,' he added.
My comment:
(a) Luwang 山东省烟台市栖霞市寨里镇路旺村
(b) There is no need to read the rest of the English edition.