If You Don’t Know, Now You Know – Asian Nations Reject Western Trash | The Daily Show
Published -
- July 26, 2019
- 4:00 pm
After years of taking in America’s plastic recycling, many Asian nations are now sending it back.
This is forcing the U.S. to deal with its trash problem.
What are the environmental and health risks associated with the exportation of waste from Western countries to developing Asian countries?
The issue of waste management has been a global challenge for several decades. The world population has been growing at an alarming rate, and with the increase in population density, the amount of waste produced has increased tremendously. In many countries, the issue of waste management has become a public health concern. Recently, the Daily Show highlighted a significant issue in the waste management industry affecting the Asian nations. The show dubbed the topic, “If You Don’t Know, Now You Know – Asian Nations Reject Western Trash.”
For many years, Western countries have been exporting their waste to Asian countries. This trade has been beneficial to both parties as the Western countries get rid of their waste, and the Asian countries receive an income from processing and recycling the waste. However, this trade has become a problem in recent years. According to the Daily Show, the Asian countries have been rejecting waste from Western countries, citing concerns over environmental and health risks.
The show pointed out that in 2018, China, the world’s largest importer of waste, banned the importation of 24 types of waste, including plastics waste. The Chinese government’s decision was informed by concerns that the waste was contaminating Chinese soil, water, and air. Following the ban, Western countries began exporting their waste to other Asian countries such as Malaysia, Vietnam, and Indonesia. However, these countries began rejecting the waste too, claiming that they did not have the capacity to process the waste.
The Daily Show highlighted how the waste trade has exposed the power imbalance between Western and Asian nations. The Western nations have been exploiting the Asian countries’ weak waste management policies, at the expense of the Asian people’s health and the environment. The show argued that this trade perpetuates environmental racism where the Western countries offload their waste to the developing Asian countries, which do not have the resources to manage it correctly.
Moreover, the show emphasized that waste management policies in the Western countries needed a significant overhaul. The Western countries need to develop sustainable waste management systems and reduce their reliance on exportation of waste to developing countries. The Daily Show argued that it is time for Western countries to take responsibility for their waste and develop sustainable solutions to reduce the wastage.
In conclusion, the Daily Show raised an issue that has not received adequate attention in the media. The show highlighted the unethical practices that have prevailed in the waste management industry, where the Western countries exploit the Asian nations at the expense of the environment and public health. The show called for a broader conversation on sustainable waste management practices that consider the global impact of waste. The challenge remains on implementing sustainable solutions that take into account the welfare of all nations, regardless of their economic status.
