How do you feel about countries shipping their rubbish abroad?

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Reporter specialised in Swiss foreign affairs, with a side hustle as a sub-editor in the English Department. Previously my focus was on disinformation and fact-checks, which I still produce occasionally.

Español

¿Qué opina de que los países envíen sus residuos al extranjero?
Português

Qual sua opinião sobre países que exportam lixo?
中文

你对各国将垃圾“出口”到他国有何看法？

Switzerland participates in a global waste trade that sees around 180 million tonnes of rubbish crossing borders each year. But did you know that the EU estimates about a third of its waste is traded illegally, both between member countries and abroad?

Waste trafficking isn’t just an environmental crime that rakes in billions in dirty profits; it also causes serious health and environmental problems.

China, once the biggest importer of plastic waste, banned all solid waste imports starting in 2017 because of the pollution they caused.

Does your country import waste? Do you think these imports should be banned, or are there greener ways to handle this trade? We’d love to hear your thoughts!

Swiss position

Are Western countries doing enough to tackle waste trafficking?

This content was published on Feb 25, 2025 The illegal trade in waste is a crime that even countries with strict waste regulations, such as Switzerland, struggle to prosecute effectively.

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Ludwig von Hrabica 2025-09-29 05:57

The following contribution has been automatically translated from ES.

I have lived in Zurich, working for a multinational company, and I found the cleanliness, the order, the punctuality and the direct democracy marvellous. But I detest the hypocrisy of saying that they are neutral, when in reality they sell arms to Ukraine and believe they are the victims, when they are the ones who started the conflict.__It is said all over the world that in Switzerland, the misery and everything that is not wanted to be seen is swept away in each canton towards the border of the country with which it borders.And let's not talk about the "honour" of the Swiss banks, which appropriated the ill-gotten wealth of the Nazis, of the drug traffickers, who for decades refused to abolish banking secrecy. And then: Oh surprise! UBS collapses and has to be "saved" by? Another Swiss bank! I would like to learn that the directors and those responsible for the bankruptcy have been convicted of their crimes.

He vivido en Zurich, trabajando para una multinacional y me pareció maravillosa la limpieza, el orden, la puntualidad y la democracia directa. Pero detesto la hipocresía de decir que son neutrales, cuando en realidad le venden armas a Ucrania y creen que son las víctimas, cuando son los que dieron origen al conflicto.__En todo el mundo se opina que en Suiza, se barren las miserias y todo aquello que no se quiere que se vea, en cada cantón, hacia la frontera del país con el que tiene frontera.__Y no hablemos de la "honorabilidad" de la banca suiza, que se apropió del tesoro mal habido de los nazis, del de los narcos, que durante decenios rechazaron que se derogara el secreto bancario. Y luego: ¡Oh sorpresa! La UBS entra en colapso y tiene que ser "salvado" por... ¡Otro banco suizo! Me gustaría enterarme que los directores y responsables de la quiebra, están condenados por sus delitos.

JustTheFacts 2025-07-02 19:27

It depends on which country is the sender, which country is the recipient and what is being disposed of.

Rosita Welcker 2025-03-31 00:43

The following contribution has been automatically translated from ES.

I don't agree and that does damage the environment because receiving waste !

No estoy de acuerdo ya eso sí daña el ambiente porque recibir desechos !

swisstester123@gmail.com 2025-03-26 09:07

All countries should self dispose of the waste their inhabitants excrete.
Period.

Geraldine Wong SWI SWISSINFO.CH 2025-03-27 16:57

@swisstester123@gmail.com

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. One expert I talked to said we also need to rethink our consumption habits. The more we consume, the more waste we produce. So maybe we also need to consume less in order to have less waste to deal with afterwards. Do you agree?

swisstester123@gmail.com 2025-03-31 09:43

@Geraldine Wong

In Switzerland, due to high prices of buying and disposing of stuff, we already consume way less than other prosperous countries like US, UK or Germany.
Yes certain less consumption means less waste. It is logic. However, I don't think that solves the problem of garbage disposals.

sona swlly 2025-04-02 10:10

The following contribution has been automatically translated from PT.

@swisstester123@gmail.com

that would be "ideal", but that's not the case!!! because each country has different sizes, and the separation of the waste in nature has different disposal methods.

seria o ""ideal" "porém, não é o que acontece!! pois cada país tem tamanhos diferentes, e a separação do mesmo na natureza ,tem tem formas diferentes de descarte.

Geraldine Wong SWI SWISSINFO.CH 2025-05-12 11:07

@swisstester123@gmail.com

Interestingly, we reported a few days ago that Switzerland passed its "overshoot day", i.e, the day when it exhausted its natural resources for the entire year, including through mass consumerism. Activists say that public policies and investment choices, and not just individual actions, can help to bring down our environmental footprint. https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/climate-solutions/switzerland-has-used-up-its-resources-for-the-whole-year/89278456

Maurício Manoel da Silva 2025-03-10 15:43

The following contribution has been automatically translated from PT.

We have to reduce rubbish production, that's the only way to avoid exporting it.

Temos que reduzir a produção de lixo, somente assim evitariamos a exportação.

How do you feel about countries shipping their rubbish abroad?

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Are Western countries doing enough to tackle waste trafficking?

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