{"id":42564,"date":"2026-06-03T07:15:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-03T14:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/?p=42564"},"modified":"2026-06-03T22:04:32","modified_gmt":"2026-06-04T05:04:32","slug":"a-lot-of-recycled-plastic-is-being-burned-overseas-and-causing-widespread-pollution-linked-to-health-problems","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/a-lot-of-recycled-plastic-is-being-burned-overseas-and-causing-widespread-pollution-linked-to-health-problems\/","title":{"rendered":"A lot of \u2018recycled\u2019 plastic is being burned overseas \u2013 and causing widespread pollution linked to health problems"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Ellen M. Considine<\/a>, University of Colorado Boulder<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Picture a pile of trash the size of Manhattan and taller than one and a half Empire State Buildings<\/a>. That\u2019s how much plastic waste the world is predicted<\/a> to be generating every year by 2050 if nothing is done to change course.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s easy to think of recycling as the solution, but the vast majority<\/a> of plastic waste now ends up in landfills, or worse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A large amount of plastic waste gets shipped overseas. In a new study<\/a>, my colleague and I analyzed what happens when plastic waste is shipped to lower- and middle-income countries, where open burning is a common way of dealing with excess waste. The result, we found, is pronounced increases in toxic air pollution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plastic waste burning and health impacts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Between 40% and 65% of total municipal solid waste is openly burned<\/a> in low- and middle-income countries, largely as a result of 2 billion people around the world having no municipal solid waste collection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Open burning occurs both intentionally and unintentionally, the latter when open dump sites containing organic waste spontaneously combust<\/a> due to heat generated as the waste degrades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
A worker carries a basket of plastic waste, wood and coconut husks to be used as fuel to fry tofu at a factory in Sidoarjo, Indonesia, in 2025. Burning waste is a common way to cut fuel costs, but studies have found high levels of microplastics in the tofu from these factories, toxic ash inside the buildings and hazardous levels of air pollution. Robertus Pudyanto\/Getty Images<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

When plastic burns, it releases particularly toxic air pollutants<\/a>. Fine particles can penetrate deep into people\u2019s bodies, along with gases that include carbon monoxide, styrene gas and hydrogen cyanide. It also releases persistent organic pollutants such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and dioxins. These particles and gases have been linked to health risks ranging<\/a> from respiratory and cardiovascular disease to cancer and reproductive and neurological disorders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ash from open burning can also contaminate soil and groundwater with persistent organic pollutants, heavy metals and other toxicants, creating more chances for people to be exposed to them through food and water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The global plastic waste trade<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Large amounts of plastic waste are shipped around the world \u2013 some to be recycled and much to simply be disposed of in landfills or incinerated<\/a>. In 2024, 9.34 million metric tons<\/a> of plastic waste imports were reported, according to the United Nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where this exported plastic waste ends up has been shifting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2018, China stopped importing plastic waste, causing the total amount of plastic waste moving among countries \u2013 at least through official channels \u2013 to drop dramatically. Between 1992 and 2016, China\u2019s plastic waste imports made up 45% of global imports<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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