cari_pb35_xiatanzaniaplasticrecycling-5c1e706f809928e0.pdf

This policy brief examines the impact of Chinese investments in Tanzania's plastic recycling industry and the subsequent effects of China's 2018 import ban on waste materials. It highlights how Chinese firms have facilitated technology transfer and local business growth, while also noting significant environmental and health risks and a potential decline in local waste sourcing due to the import of cleaner waste from Europe and the US.

• Chinese investments have become dominant in the Tanzanian recycling sector since 2012, with approximately sixty factories involved in recycling, granulation, and manufacturing. These include 25 to 30 plants producing plastic woven sacks and shopping bags, five focusing on granulation, and about ten manufacturing plastic slippers for local and regional markets.
• Chinese firms have stimulated local economic growth and knowledge transfer by training workers in plastic materials and sorting, and by providing second-hand machinery and installment loans to local recyclers. This has led some former employees to establish their own trash collection centers and recycling workshops, often becoming suppliers to their previous employers.
• China's January 1, 2018, ban on importing twenty-four types of solid waste, including unprocessed plastics, forced Chinese recyclers in Tanzania to adapt. Strategies include exporting to India and South Africa, upgrading to produce PET granules for the Chinese market, and importing waste plastics from Europe and the US to produce granules.
• Industrial upgrading following the Chinese waste ban has led to a reduction in local employment, with some manufacturers reporting cuts of 30 to 40 percent due to increased productivity from new machinery and the use of cleaner imported waste that requires less manual sorting.
• The expansion of the recycling industry in Tanzania has caused significant environmental and health hazards. Many facilities lack waste management systems and safety equipment, resulting in worker injuries such as burns. Some workshops are located near residential areas, with one instance of waste being dumped into an open well near a school playground.
• The import of waste plastics from Europe may discourage domestic recycling in Tanzania, as some Chinese recyclers have already reduced their purchases from local facilities because imported materials are cleaner and better sorted.
• Tanzanian local authorities are reported to prioritize tax and immigration enforcement over health and environmental regulations, often favoring monetary penalties over requiring the correction of violations.

APA

South African Institute of International Affairs (n.d.). cari_pb35_xiatanzaniaplasticrecycling-5c1e706f809928e0.pdf. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/CARI_PB35_XIATanzaniaPlasticRecycling.pdf

Chicago

South African Institute of International Affairs. cari_pb35_xiatanzaniaplasticrecycling-5c1e706f809928e0.pdf. n.d. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/CARI_PB35_XIATanzaniaPlasticRecycling.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=South African Institute of International Affairs |title=cari_pb35_xiatanzaniaplasticrecycling-5c1e706f809928e0.pdf |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/CARI_PB35_XIATanzaniaPlasticRecycling.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{southafricaninstituteofinternationalaffairsndcaripb35xiatanzaniaplasticrecycling5c1e706f809928e0pdf, author = {{South African Institute of International Affairs}}, title = {{cari\_pb35\_xiatanzaniaplasticrecycling-5c1e706f809928e0.pdf}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/CARI_PB35_XIATanzaniaPlasticRecycling.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }