A respected international waste chief has urged world leaders to promote free trade.
Ranjit Baxi, president of the Global Recycling Foundation and a former president of the Bureau of International Recycling, said frictionless cross-border commerce was critical for the environment.
US president Donald Trump has sparked a blaze of import duty rises around the world in recent weeks after raising tariffs on certain goods coming into the US in a bid to boost domestic activity.
Baxi didn’t mention specific countries or policies but used Global Recycling Day on 18 March to call for collaboration across borders.
“The danger is that the circular economy becomes regionalised by overarching regulatory controls and increasing protectionism,” he warned.
“Instead we must work together to allow free and fair global trade as we are contributing to global environmental benefits.”
He added: “We need to promote the three Rs – reduce, reuse, recycle as our fundamental drivers.
“It is high time that world leaders recognise recycling and place it high on the agenda at the COP30 summit in Brazil.”
