This contributed volume takes a holistic view of the international waste trade and in doing so argues that the transfer of plastic waste from mainly Global North to primarily Global South countries constitutes a form of 21st Century colonialism. The book first describes the history of the plastic waste trade, from toxic disasters in the 1970s and 1980s through the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal in 1989 through China’s 2018 implementation of a “National Sword” policy that effectively banned importation of plastic waste. From there, the authors explore both the legal trade in plastic waste and the underground illegal trade in waste, arguing that both lead to devastating impacts on ecosystems, workers, and communities in receiving countries and highlighting how countries that receive waste are often less equipped to process it than the countries that export waste. The last section of the book presents cases from countrieson the receiving end of the plastic waste trade, highlighting inherent problems from sociological and environmental justice perspectives.
Format: Paperback / softback
CONTRIBUTORS: Sedat Gündoğdu
EAN: 9783031513602
COUNTRY: Switzerland
PAGES: 312
WEIGHT:
HEIGHT: 235 mm
PUBLISHED BY: Springer International Publishing AG
DATE PUBLISHED: 2025-03-01
CITY:
GENRE: MEDICAL / Public Health, SCIENCE / Environmental Science, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Social Classes & Economic Disparity, TECHNOLOGY & ENGINEERING / Environmental / Pollution Control, TECHNOLOGY & ENGINEERING / Environmental / Waste Management
WIDTH: 155 mm
SPINE:
Book Themes:
Social and ethical issues, Environmental factors, Human geography, Waste management, Pollution and threats to the environment, Waste treatment and disposal
Dr. Sedat Gundogdu is a Researcher in the Faculty of Fisheries at Çukurova University in Adana, Turkey. He is a marine biologist, investigates plastic pollution across its entire life cycle, including plastic waste management and the environmental impacts Plastic waste management and the environmental impacts of shipping plastic waste and related illegal activities are also a key part of his research.