Because Russians do not sort their waste, landfills are growing around the country, and recycling plants are compelled to buy plastic waste abroad. In 2018, they bought $20 mio worth of plastic, one-third more than a year earlier. In the first half of 2019, Russia spent more than $12 mio on used plastic bottles, RBC reported citing customs statistics.
Plastic is a highly efficient material for recycling; yet, in Russia, recycling plants are short of supply because, according to Greenpeace, 94% of household waste is taken to landfills without sorting. The main suppliers of plastic waste are Turkey, Belarus and Japan, as well as Germany, the UAE and another 20 countries.
Without the import of plastic waste, the recycling industry would have slowed down significantly, jeopardizing the entire waste reform. Experts say full-scale waste separation can be organized in Russia in a few years.