The Trash Trade

Selling Garbage to China

Produced by NHK

Japanese waste is turning into gold in the hands of Chinese dealers who extract valuable metal and plastic from mountains of scrap. The rubbish is carefully disassembled in China, then made into new cars and clothes that are shipped back to Japan. This international recycling system appears to kill two huge birds ­ China¹s lack of resources and Japan¹s rubbish problem ­ with one stone.

But, there is a problem. Japan¹s own recycling industry is running out of raw materials, and it¹s on the brink of collapse. And not all Japanese trash is welcome. Discarded computers are making their way onto the black market in China, and contributing to pollution. Recycling is regarded as the keystone of sustainability ­ but is recycling itself sustainable?

49 min. Video or DVD. Sale $295. Video rental $85.

"The Trash Trade is recommended for jr. high to adult audiences. It is especially recommended for use in stimulating discussion in such areas as globalization, economic imbalances among nations, recycling, business strategies, Sino-Japanese relations, Asian studies. Further, the film can serve as a primary source for research projects in those and related fields." Educational Media Reviews Online