In Plastic China, a documentary shot by Wang Jiuliang, Chen Feng (not his real name) makes his living recycling plastic waste imported from developed countries. His family lives among the garbage and his young son often finds “toys” around him. Used plastic injectors are his favorite.
在王久良拍攝的紀(jì)錄片《塑料王國(guó)》中，陳鋒（化名）以回收發(fā)達(dá)國(guó)家出口到中國(guó)的塑料垃圾為生。他家住在垃圾堆里，小兒子常在身邊找到“玩具”，用過(guò)的塑料注射器就是他的最愛(ài)。

China was once the world’s biggest recipient of overseas trash. Many people like Chen Feng work at centers recycling imported waste, also called foreign garbage.
中國(guó)曾是世界最大的洋垃圾進(jìn)口國(guó)。很多像陳鋒這樣的人在進(jìn)口垃圾（也叫洋垃圾）回收中心工作。

From Jan 1, 2021, China will make a sweeping ban on all imports of solid waste. The dumping, stacking and disposal of waste products from overseas on Chinese territory will also be banned.
2021年1月1日起，中國(guó)將全面禁止進(jìn)口固體廢物，禁止中國(guó)境外的廢物進(jìn)境傾倒、堆放、處置。

China began importing solid waste in 1980 when the country didn’t have enough raw materials. The recycling of imported waste helped to fill that gap.
1980年，因?yàn)楫?dāng)時(shí)的原材料不足，中國(guó)開(kāi)始進(jìn)口固體廢物。對(duì)進(jìn)口廢物回收再利用有助于填補(bǔ)這一缺口。

Recycling foreign trash, such as plastics, paper and metals, has supported the development of China’s manufacturing sector and further boosted its economy. After being processed, garbage can be turned into materials that can be used to make products, such as chairs and bags. Developed countries like the United States, the United Kingdom and Japan have been the main sources, paying China only around several hundred yuan per ton for recycling.
回收塑料、廢紙、金屬等洋垃圾支持了中國(guó)制造業(yè)的發(fā)展，也進(jìn)一步促進(jìn)了中國(guó)經(jīng)濟(jì)發(fā)展。垃圾加工后可以變成制造椅子、書(shū)包等產(chǎn)品的材料。美國(guó)、英國(guó)、日本等發(fā)達(dá)國(guó)家一直是主要的洋垃圾來(lái)源國(guó)，每噸垃圾僅向中國(guó)支付幾百元作為回收費(fèi)用。

According to Xinhua, from the mid-1990s to 2016, China’s annual imports of solid waste grew from about 4 million tons to 46.5 million tons. In 2016, China imported more than half of the world’s solid waste.
據(jù)新華社報(bào)道，二十世紀(jì)九十年代中期至2016年，中國(guó)固體廢物年進(jìn)口量從400萬(wàn)噸增長(zhǎng)至4650萬(wàn)噸。2016年，中國(guó)進(jìn)口了全球超過(guò)一半的固體廢物。

However, importing this waste has brought more risks than benefits. Waste that can’t be used is either burned or buried, while processing recyclables also leads to rivers, air and land pollution, as well as sickness.
然而，進(jìn)口洋垃圾所帶來(lái)的風(fēng)險(xiǎn)大于裨益。不能使用的垃圾會(huì)被焚燒或填埋，而處理可回收廢物也會(huì)帶來(lái)河流、空氣、土地污染，以及疾病。

In Guiyu, Guangdong province, once China’s largest disposal center for electronic trash, over 90 percent of kids showed high levels of lead in their blood, according to a report that tracked the health of local children in the years from 2006 to 2013.
一份2006-2013年持續(xù)追蹤當(dāng)?shù)貎和】禒顩r的研究報(bào)告顯示，廣東貴嶼曾是我國(guó)最大的電子垃圾處理中心，這里90%以上的孩子血液中鉛含量很高。

In addition, about 10 billion tons of solid waste are produced annually in China, which also has to be handled appropriately.
此外，中國(guó)每年也會(huì)制造約100億噸固體廢物，也需妥善處理。

According to China Daily, the ban taking effect in 2021 is the culmination of policies introduced since 2017 to phase out the import of solid waste. Since 2017, the volume of imported waste has fallen by 68 percent, from 42 million to 13 million tons in 2019.
《中國(guó)日?qǐng)?bào)》稱，2021年生效的禁令是自2017年以來(lái)推出的逐步限制固體廢物進(jìn)口政策的最高潮。自2017年以來(lái)，進(jìn)口廢物量從4200萬(wàn)噸下降到2019年的1300萬(wàn)噸，降幅達(dá)68%。

“The victory of realizing the goal of zero imports of solid waste is in sight,” said Qiu Qiwen, from the Ministry of Ecology and Environment.
生態(tài)環(huán)境部邱啟文表示：“實(shí)現(xiàn)固體廢物零進(jìn)口目標(biāo)，勝利在望?！?/span>

以上文章內(nèi)容選自《21世紀(jì)學(xué)生英文報(bào)高中版》，詳情請(qǐng)見(jiàn)《21世紀(jì)學(xué)生英文報(bào)高中版》高三734期