CNN describes how the governments of 187 countries have agreed to control the movement of plastic waste between national borders, in an effort to curb the world's plastic crisis -- but the United States was not among them. The pact was approved at the end of a two-week meeting of UN-backed conventions in Geneva, Switzerland.
But the US was not involved in the decision-making process, as it is one of just two countries that have not ratified the agreement.
The resolution means contaminated and most mixes of plastic wastes will require prior consent from receiving countries before they are traded, with the exceptions of mixes of PE, PP and PET, according to WWF. An estimated 100 million tons of plastic is now found in the world's oceans, up to 90% of which comes from land-based sources, studies have found.
Our representatives may have opted out of the agreement, but that doesn't mean that we can't do our best effort to recycle. Based on what I have seen people around me do when it comes to recyclable waste, you could make money from it. In Hawaii there are recycling centers that would gladly pay for the materials you bring. For more information visit https://www.mauicounty.gov/744/Residential-Recycling-Guidelines
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