The Darker Side of Dutch Colonialism: Exporting Plastic Waste Is Plastic Pollution Trafficking

Abstract

In 2021, the European Union (EU) was the largest exporter of plastic waste in the world, followed by the United States and Japan. Within the EU, the Netherlands, with a population of just 18 million, was the largest exporter of plastic waste to non-OECD countries, totaling plastic waste export of over 200 million kg. Despite existing international legislation such as the Basel Convention and the EU Waste Shipment Directive, the export of plastic waste from the Netherlands to non-OECD countries such as Indonesia, Vietnam, and Malaysia has increased sharply following the ban on imports of plastic waste by China in 2018. In 2021, the Netherlands was the world’s largest exporter of plastic waste to Indonesia, totaling 70 million kg, and exported almost 64 million kg to Vietnam. Thus, the Netherlands is a major contributor to the global plastic waste trade which shifts the burden of plastic pollution (or plastic pollution colonialism) to vulnerable poorer countries who are already severely challenged with managing their domestic waste. Prior to January 1, 2018, most plastic waste from the Netherlands was exported to China. Now, the Netherlands exports most of its plastic waste to countries in Southeast Asia such as Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, and Malaysia. Unfortunately, more than 50% of the imported plastic waste is mismanaged in these countries, with up to 83% in Indonesia. Mismanagement includes open dumping, open burning, and waste incineration resulting in the release of harmful chemicals, plastic and microplastic residues causing widespread chemical and plastic pollution in the local environment. This pollution causes indiscriminate ecological and human health impacts. Thus, the export of plastic waste to vulnerable countries by the Netherlands is plastic pollution trafficking.