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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Erin McCormick, Guardian US, and Verónica García de León, Quinto Elemento Lab

‘A trash can for the US’: anger in Mexico and Canada over toxic waste shipments

An industrial plant spews pollution.
An industrial landscape in northern Monterrey, Mexico, where pollution concerns have sparked scrutiny, with the Zinc Nacional plant at the center of ongoing environmental debates. Photograph: Bernardo De Niz/Quinto Elemento Lab

US companies ship more than 1m tons of hazardous waste to other countries each year, raising questions over possible impacts on health and the environment, an investigation by the Guardian and Quinto Elemento Lab has found.

Exports of toxic waste, most of which is shipped to Mexico and Canada, have climbed 17% since 2018, US records show. And while sending it away for recycling and disposal is legal, some experts are concerned that more and more of America’s most dangerous discards are leaving the country.

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