EU targets recycling as China bans plastic waste imports

16 January 2018 – EU regulators are searching for ways to increase recycling of plastic, as waste piles up in ports after China banned imports of “foreign garbage” from the start of 2018. Announcing a new policy push on Tuesday, European Commission Vice President Jyrki Katainen said Brussels is mulling a tax, curbs on throw-away items like plastic bags, imposing quality standards and new rules at ports among other restrictions. The Commission is eyeing environmental taxes – including revenue from its carbon cap-and-trade Emission Trading System (ETS) – as a way to plug the whole left in its budget when Britain’s exit from the bloc at the end of 2020 deprives it of revenue. Read the full article on the Reuters website.