Why the world's recycling system has broken down: How China's refusal to become a dum ground for the West has sent labor costs soaring, left U.S. landfill full of plastic and plunged the industry into crisis

全球垃圾回收系统崩溃的原因:拒绝成为西方的垃圾填埋场，美国的垃圾填埋场堆满了塑料垃圾，整个行业陷入危机

China’s decision to ban imports of recycled material from wealthy countries has brought the American recycling industry to the point of an exstential crisis.

禁止从富裕国家进口可回收垃圾的决定，将美国的回收行业推到了生死存亡的边缘。

Recycling has now become so expensive that more cities in the United States are sending recyclables to waste incinerators, where they are burned along with non-recyclable trash to generate electricity, according to Gizmodo.

据Gizmodo报道，目前回收利用成本太高，以至于美国越来越多的城市把可回收垃圾送到垃圾焚烧厂，与不可回收垃圾一起焚烧用来发电。

In years past, cities would collect recyclables, sort them, and clean them so that they could be sold as commodities to manufacturers.

在过去，城市会收集可回收物品，对它们进行分类和清洁，之后作为商品卖给厂商。

But when China announced last year that it would stop taking in American recycled materials to combat pollution, the recycling industry could not find a new buyer.

但去年宣布将停止进口美国可回收垃圾，回收行业找不到新的买家。

That sent prices of these materials plunging. If mixed paper once sold for $100 a ton, it dropped to about $3 a ton.

如此一来，导致这些垃圾的价格暴跌。假设混合纸曾经以每吨100美元的价格出售，那么它的价格降至了每吨3美元左右。

英国每日邮报读者评论：

译文来源：三泰虎 http://www.santaihu.com/47163.html    译者：Jessica.Wu

外文：https://www.dailymail.co.uk

stellianoJC, Atlanta, United States, 13 hours ago

Shoot that stuff into space with a trajectory towards the sun. The sun will do the rest....

把这些垃圾发射到太空，朝着太阳的方向。剩下的工作就交给太阳了……

Unanchored, Florida, United States, 14 hours ago

I wish there were better recycling options here in the US. I would love to see more tires turned into tracks and such and plastics used more than once.

我希望美国垃圾回收能更好地处理方式。把废弃轮胎加工成履带，重复利用废弃塑料。

Allaboutmetoo, Charleston, United States, 14 hours ago

Perhaps we can stockpile it as part of the new border wall.

或许我们可以拿去砌边境墙。

m.i.a, Dallas, United States, 12 hours ago

Good idea! Hardened heated compacted recyclables can make a good barrier and a great way ti solve two current issues. Wall & Recyclables.

好主意!硬化的热压可回收材料是很好的屏障，也是解决目前这两个问题的的好方法。

dr_ron, grand forks, United States, 15 hours ago

As a kid, all of my candy money came from recycling (returning) glass bottles. Made me learn how to EARN money.

小时候，我买糖果的钱都是靠回收玻璃瓶赚的。这让我学会了如何赚钱。

juliehere, Victoria-Florida, United States, 14 hours ago

I did too...ah the thrill of finding a bottle! I remember it well

我也一样……找到一个瓶子就特别激动!我记得很清楚

pattikay3, Thornton-Cleveleys, United Kingdom, 15 hours ago

Yes what a load of plastic is used in bottling liquids. Maybe we should revert back to glass!

瓶子用了多少塑料啊。也许我们应该回到玻璃时代!

Montanagirl, Stevensville, United States, 16 hours ago

It makes me so sad to see people throwing away perfectly useable items just to be dumped in landfills. I drive through my neighborhood on early mornings before the trash truck comes and save many treasures. I have made hundreds of dollars. I also give it away to people who need it. I have found iPods, gift cards, cash, clothes jewelry etc....

看到人们把完全可以回收利用的东西扔进垃圾填埋场，我感到很难过。清晨，在垃圾车来之前，我就开车穿过我的街区，开始“寻宝”。我已经赚了几百美元。我也把找到的一些东西送给有需要的人，我从垃圾里找到过东西有ipod，礼品卡，现金，衣服珠宝等…

The boat guy, United States, United States, 16 hours ago

Time to go back to paper & glass based packaging.

是时候回到用纸和玻璃包装的时代了。

RobertG, Rockville, United States, 16 hours ago

Environmentalist don't like paper because it kills trees a glass is heavier to transport so moving it uses more fuel so more CO2 into the air which again the environmentalist will complain about.

环保主义者不喜欢纸，造纸要砍树，而玻璃重，运输时将消耗更多的燃料，更多的二氧化碳排放到空气中，这也是环保主义者会抱怨的。

matt, canada, 16 hours ago

It would be better if we could get down to one kind of recyclable plastic for most consumer products. Too many that need to be sorted and separated adding more work and cost to the process.

如果消费品只用一种可回收塑料，那就更好了。需要分类的种类太多会增加工作量，提高回收成本。

Atomic Blonde, Vienna, Austria, 16 hours ago

In turkey there are these machines where you put your plastic bottles cups whatever and get paid. Also plastic bags in supermarkets are no longer free you have to pay so less people buy and dump plastic stuff all over. Progress ...

在土耳其有这样的机器，你把塑料瓶、杯子什么的放进去，可以换钱。此外，超市里的塑料袋不再是免费的，这样一来买塑料袋的人就少了，倾倒的塑料也就少了。这就是进步……

burranka, winterport maine, 17 hours ago

we should just go back to glass bottles and cardboard boxes, get rid of plastic bottles and shrink wrap

我们应该使用玻璃瓶和纸板箱，不再用塑料瓶和塑料包装。

nino, London and USA., United States, 17 hours ago

It's just a racket - We still pay for recycling either directly or as taxes and most of it is just going into the landfill!

这只是一个骗局——我们仍然直接掏钱或以税收的形式为垃圾回收买单，但大部分垃圾都被扔进了垃圾填埋场!

Mr DP Gumby CBE, South Harmon Institute of Tech, Christmas Island, 17 hours ago

Recover the energy through incineration.

可以焚烧垃圾发电，这也是一种回收方式。

PNWBobsled, Up here, United States, 17 hours ago

Stop buying junky Chinese products, they always end up in landfills much too soon.

停止购买劣质的货，货总是很快就被扔进垃圾填埋场。

joe max, Rochester, United States, 18 hours ago

So recycling is being exposed as another big lie.Burning it is not recycling.......period.

回收是一个大谎言，焚烧不等于回收。

Concerned Citizen 69, Seattle, United States, 17 hours ago

No need to burn it, just bury it.

没必要焚烧，直接埋了就行。

One whoknows, From the East, United States, 18 hours ago

I got it! Send it to Elon Musk to shoot into deep space.

把这些垃圾送到伊隆·马斯克那里，让他发射到外太空。

One whoknows, From the East, United States, 18 hours ago

Glass, at least, can be recycled forever.

玻璃至少可以永远循环利用。

RannXeroxx, Grand Rapids, United States, 17 hours ago

Just burn it.

烧了完事。

Seriouslytho, Anywherebuthere, United States, 18 hours ago

Where's that plastic eating fungus? It will probably morph into something wild and eat us all.

那个吃塑料的真菌呢?

CastingOff, No City Just Islands, Åland Islands, 18 hours ago

Meanwhile ExxonMobil wants to increase the volume of plastics.

与此同时，埃克森美孚希望增加塑料的产量。

Nod Eal, England, United Kingdom, 18 hours ago

How many years before we discover what damage chemical sweeteners are causing in our oceans?

多少年后我们才发现化学甜味剂对海洋造成的危害?

Pepper Sanchez, Volcan Arenal, Costa Rica, 18 hours ago

Good. Countries should fix their pollution problems at the source. Out of sight, out of mind doesn't work. Garbage gets shipped to China where it gets disposed of improperly and ends up in rivers which flow to the ocean. Eventually it makes its way right back to us.

各国应该从源头上解决污染问题，“眼不见，心不烦”也不是解决办法。垃圾运往，在那经过不当处理后排入海洋，最终还是会回到我们身边。

MericanWoman, Seattle WA, United States, 18 hours ago

It shouldn't be up to the recycling industry alone to try to manage the plastic industry's mess.

不能光靠回收行业来收拾塑料行业的烂摊子。

Nod Eal, England, United Kingdom, 18 hours ago

No dormant or quiet volcanoes to drop this stuff into?

有没有休眠的火山，把这些垃圾扔进去?