China's waste import ban came into force on January first. The measure, announced in July last year, prohibits the entry of 24 types of solid waste grouped into four categories: domestic plastics, unsorted paper, various types of mine slag and textile waste. China started to import solid waste in the 1980s and has been the world's largest importer of recyclable materials. In 2016, China imported 7.3 million tons of waste plastics, accounting for 56 percent of world imports from developed countries, including the United States, the U.K., the EU and Japan. Previously, the U.S. exported about one-third of its recycling every year, and nearly half went to China. Since 2012, Britain shipped around two-thirds of its garbage to China for recycling, approximately 500,000 tons each year.