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Plastic Exports to Mexico Rise; Experts Warn About “Plastic Colonialism”

Recently released information has shown that the United States plastic exports to Mexico doubled between 2019 and 2021. The rising amount of plastic waste exported from the United States to Mexico occurred despite a 2019 agreement between 187 countries that regulates and restricts the international trade of plastic waste. The ban took effect in January of 2021. Since the plastic waste trade agreement, Mexico has become the largest destination for plastic waste originating in the United States. Humanitarians and environmental activists are raising alarms about these exports, terming it “plastic waste colonialism.”

Single-use plastics became widespread in the 1970s. Lauded for their convenience, these plastic products, designed to be used once and then discarded, have become ubiquitous in modern life. However, in recent decades the dark side of these convenience items has become well known. Plastics do not naturally biodegrade. This makes them a hazard that never disappears. Indeed, the world is now grappling with the difficulty of disposing of the 8.3 billion metric tonnes of plastic that have been produced since the 1950s.

The majority of plastic waste ends up in landfills. However, this disposal strategy requires one important resource – land. For wealthy countries, mostly in the West and Global North, this need has driven the export of plastic. Countries such as the United States export a large percentage of their plastic refuse. Other countries will take this waste in for a fee.

The burden of disposing of these plastic products then falls on the countries which import the plastic waste. These countries are often poorer and lie in the Global South. They may also have laxer environmental restrictions governing plastic disposal. This export/import cycle fuels higher levels of plastic pollution and environmental contamination for the countries that import plastic waste. Experts have pointed out that this cycle is a form of environmental racism, and have dubbed it “plastic colonialism” or “waste colonialism”.

Until recently, China took in the majority of the United States’ plastic exports. However, in 2018 the country stopped accepting solid refuse from other nations. This included plastic waste.

It is theorized that the disruption caused by this ban led to the rising amount of plastic exports to Mexico by the United States. By 2021, Mexico’s imports of waste from the United States increased by 68 percent.

A 2023 press release from the city of Phoenix, Arizona highlighted the commonality of plastic exports to Mexico. Before the 2023 Super Bowl, the southwestern city announced its intentions to send plastic recycling to a facility in Guadalajara, Mexico. There, the waste would be repurposed and recycled into food packaging. The Guadalajara plant is operated by Direct Pack Incorporated. The international company is also building another recycling facility in Mexicali, Mexico.

Direct Pack Inc. is one of several companies that has received a grant from The Recycling Partnership. This nonprofit has been funded and overseen by various large companies, including ExxonMobil, that produce plastic and packaging.

Plastic recycling has long been decried by environmentalists as a “greenwashing” strategy by the plastics industry. This is because plastic recycling is difficult, and many types of plastic can only be recycled once. While this is true, systems that prioritize plastic circularity can help reduce the overall amount of plastic the world produces. Yet environmental advocates have warned that the solution to reducing plastic Pollution can not rely on circularity alone. Instead, they have called on nations around the world to reduce plastic production.

The difficulty of plastic recycling has also led to worries about what happens to imported plastic that cannot be, or is not, recycled. Often, this plastic waste is burned or placed in landfills. Both of these options can cause environmental damage. Additionally, they can lead to adverse health consequences for people in nearby communities. This is one of the major reasons that large-scale plastic exports from wealthy countries to poorer countries is termed “plastic colonialism.”

Another way that plastic exports can damage countries that import these plastic wastes is through the diversion of resources within those countries. For example, plastic recycling is extremely water-intensive. In dry regions such as Mexicali, where Direct Pack’s new recycling plant is being built, this means that plastic recycling facilities could divert precious water away from the region’s residents.

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