UK ships 700,000 tonnes of garbage to China annually

The Guardian newspaper reported that more than a third of the waste paper and plastic collected by local governments, supermarkets and businesses in the UK is sent to China without any knowledge of the environmental costs. The shipments comprise 200,000 tonnes of plastic, much of it packaging materials, and 500,000 tonnes of paper and cardboard a year, according to UK government data. One recycling company in the UK estimated there were 300 Chinese companies buying unwashed bottles, containers, and other household waste without regard to contamination or other risks. �[China] doesn't give two noodles what it takes," a UK company official told the newpaper. According to UK plastic recyclers, agents for Chinese companies are offering "120 a tonne for mixed plastic bottles, far more than the" 50 British companies pay.