The world-wide waste web

The 2001-2019 web of international waste trade is investigated, allowing the identification of countries at threat of improper handling and disposal of waste. Chemical tracers are used to identify the environmental impact of waste in these countries. Countries globally trade with tons of waste materials every year, some of which are highly hazardous. This trade admits a network representation of the world-wide waste web, with countries as vertices and flows as directed weighted edges. Here we investigate the main properties of this network by tracking 108 categories of wastes interchanged in the period 2001-2019. Although, most of the hazardous waste was traded between developed nations, a disproportionate asymmetry existed in the flow from developed to developing countries. Using a dynamical model, we simulate how waste stress propagates through the network and affects the countries. We identify 28 countries with low Environmental Performance Index that are at high risk of waste congestion. Therefore, they are at threat of improper handling and disposal of hazardous waste. We find evidence of pollution by heavy metals, by volatile organic compounds and/or by persistent organic pollutants, which are used as chemical fingerprints, due to the improper handling of waste in several of these countries.

Automated summary

The study investigates the international waste trade network from 2001 to 2019, identifying countries at risk of improper waste handling. Chemical tracers are utilized to determine the environmental impact of waste in these countries. The research reveals that most hazardous waste is traded among developed nations, but there is a disproportionate asymmetry in the flow from developed to developing countries. By using a dynamic model, the study simulates the propagation of waste stress through the network and its impact on countries. It identifies 28 countries with a low Environmental Performance Index that are at high risk of waste congestion and improper handling of hazardous waste. Evidence of pollution caused by heavy metals, volatile organic compounds, and persistent organic pollutants is found in several of these countries due to improper waste handling.