Germany sending dramatically more plastic waste to Asia

German plastic waste exports to Asia increased by nearly 50% last year, according to waste management association BDE, reported dpa.

In 2023, around 158,000 tonnes of plastic waste were shipped from Germany to Asia, around 51,000 tonnes more than a year earlier, according to Germany's waste management association BDE in response to a dpa enquiry.

Exports had already increased in 2022, but only slightly, by 6% at the time. This involved exports to countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam.

Every year, more than 6 million tons of plastic waste are recycled in Germany, but the proportion of Asian exports is small. They are not categorised as waste, but as raw materials that are further processed into textiles, street bollards or benches.

From the waste management industry's point of view, a certain amount of such exports is part of normal business in globalization. The demand for such raw materials in other regions of the world can be fulfilled and satisfy local economies.

However, environmentalists point out that regulations and checks are weaker in poorer countries and that some exports end up as waste. The environmental activism organization Greenpeace is calling for a ban on such exports.