The trash trade. Selling garbage to China

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Japanese waste is turning into gold in the hands of Chinese dealers who extract valuable metal and plastic from mountains of scrap. The rubbish is carefully disassembled in China, then made into new cars and clothes that are shipped back to Japan. This international recycling system appears to kill two huge birds with one stone. China s lack of resources and Japan's rubbish problem. But, there is a problem. Japan s own recycling industry is running out of raw materials, and it s on the brink of collapse. And not all Japanese trash is welcome. Discarded computers are making their way onto the black market in China, and contributing to pollution. Recycling is regarded as the keystone of sustainability, but is recycling itself sustainable?