California feeling impact of Chinese ban

Authorities in California are thinking hard how to cut down on the amount of junk their residents throw away, as China's waste import ban is starting to have an impact on the state's economy and environmental goals.

Local governments and the recycling industry are taking steps to encourage waste prevention, reduce contamination of recyclable materials, and improve post-collection processing, all in response to China's National Sword policy, according to the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery, known as CalRecycle.

Some cities are hiring more workers at material recovery facilities and slowing down sorting lines to ensure contaminated products are diverted before recyclables are baled for export.