Plastic waste colonialism refers to the practice where high-income nations export their plastic waste often under the guise of recycling to low and middle income countries, transferring not just waste but the environmental, health, and social burdens associated with it. This form of environmental injustice mirrors the exploitative structures of colonialism, disproportionately affecting marginalized populations with little say in the global plastic economy. The issue is tied directly to human rights, especially the right to health, clean water, and a healthy environment. Despite increasing global awareness, this problem continues due to weak environmental governance, economic disparity, and systemic inequalities in global trade relationships (Shennum, K. 2024) (Stoett, P. 2024).

Plastic waste colonialism operates through several intertwined systems, few of them which include:

• Direct waste exportation: Developed countries export waste to less developed ones, often under the pretense of recycling.
  

• Indirect waste accumulation, or “incidental” waste that arrives on the shores of islands and other areas as part of the broader global capitalist system of production; and
  

• The criminal waste trade which is illegal, hidden, unreported waste exports/imports, making it nearly impossible for recipient nations to track or regulate what enters their borders.

In 2021, the European Union (EU) was the largest exporter of plastic waste in the world, followed by the United States and Japan. Within the EU, the Netherlands, with a population of just 18 million, was the largest exporter of plastic waste to non-OECD countries (The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development), totaling plastic waste export of over 200 million kg, mostly to Indonesia of total 70 million kg, and exported almost 64 million kg to Vietnam.

Thus, the Netherlands is a major contributor to the global plastic waste trade which shifts the burden of plastic pollution (or plastic pollution colonialism) to vulnerable poorer countries who are already severely challenged with managing their domestic waste (Danton, H., Walker, T.R. 2024). 

The Role of International Politics: What is OECD?

The global dynamics of plastic waste trade are reinforced by unequal power relations embedded in international institutions like the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Founded in 1961, the OECD is composed mostly of wealthy, industrialized nations from the Global North, including the United States, Japan, Germany, and Australia. These countries often collaborate on economic and environmental policies but also control the narrative and regulations surrounding global trade, including the movement of waste.

In contrast, non-OECD countries such as Indonesia, Brazil, Kenya, and much of the Balkans, face structural disadvantages: weak environmental enforcement, limited industrial capacity, and economic dependence on foreign trade (Ulku, H. 2007). These imbalances allow OECD countries to externalize the environmental costs of their consumption while claiming to be leaders in sustainability.

A 2005 study on income inequality in Eastern Europe underscores how global market integration often widens inequality rather than narrowing it (Milanovic, Squire, 2007), making these regions even more susceptible to environmental dumping and exploitation. The Balkans, for instance, though geographically part of Europe, remain politically and economically marginalized, and are not immune as targets of waste colonialism. 

Health and Environmental Impacts

Mismanagement includes open dumping, open burning, and waste incineration resulting in the release of harmful chemicals, plastic and microplastic residues causing widespread chemical and plastic pollution in the local environment. This pollution causes indiscriminate ecological and human health impacts.

This pollution includes releasing toxic pollutants such as dioxins, furans, and particulate matter into the air. These pollutants are linked to respiratory diseases, cancers, and developmental disorders.

Workers in waste management facilities and nearby communities are exposed to harmful chemicals from plastic waste, leading to serious health issues such as endocrine disruption and respiratory problems, making them the most vulnerable people impacted by the waste (Shennum, K. 2024). 

Conclusion 

Plastic waste colonialism is not merely an environmental issue, it is a profound moral failure of the global economic system. It reflects and reinforces structural injustices that allow the Global North to continue overproducing and overconsuming plastic while displacing its harms onto poorer, less powerful nations. This exploitation directly violates basic human rights: the right to a clean environment, to health, and to dignity.

Addressing this crisis requires more than better recycling technology. It demands systemic change: stronger international regulations on waste exports, transparency in trade data, and binding legal frameworks to hold waste-exporting nations accountable.