Not in our backyard

Britain has become the latest source found sending waste traffic into China. It is a fresh reminder of the devastating, but often understated, export that is transforming China's landscape.

Every year, according to recent media reports, loads of waste has been transported to China from Britain. It is not a new issue. The United States and other developed countries have been sending waste to China for years.

Such exports are possible because of the cost gap between treating the waste in developed and developing countries, even with transportation taken into account. Since the 1970s, hazardous waste from the United States and European countries has been exported to Africa and South America.