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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Environment
Karen McVeigh

UK plastic waste exports to developing countries rose 84% in a year, data shows

Two women in straw hats stand among huge piles of plastic waste with a line of trees in the background
People sort plastic waste to sell in Sumberejo, East Java, 30 May. The UK exported 24,000 tonnes of plastic waste to Indonesia in the first half of this year. Photograph: Garry Lotulung

Britain’s exports of plastic waste to developing countries have soared by 84% in the first half of this year compared with last year, according to an analysis of trade data carried out for the Guardian.

Campaigners described the rise in exports, mostly to Malaysia and Indonesia, as “unethical and irresponsible waste imperialism”.

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