Since China ’s 2017 ban on plastic waste imports, recycling companies in the country have been keen to secure a share of the 600,000 tons of bottles discarded in Japan each year . Several Chinese firms have now established recycling facilities in Japan , including Asei which has invested $6.4m in two plants near Osaka Prefecture . "This is not a rubbish dump, this is a resource for us," said Lin, pointing to a pile of plastic bottles weighing several tons at the Fukuoka plant. Such investment has led to a doubling of the price of used bottles to $ 0.32 per kg over the past year . Japanese firm Ningbo Dafa Chemical Fiber also aims to double production capacity by opening a new 0.32 plant in Osaka Prefecture in 2017 .
Since China ’s 2017 ban on plastic waste imports, recycling companies in the country have been keen to secure a share of the 600,000 tons of bottles discarded in Japan each year . Several Chinese firms have now established recycling facilities in Japan , including Asei which has invested $6.4m in two plants near Osaka Prefecture . Such investment has led to a doubling of the price of used bottles to $ 0.32 per kg over the past year . Japanese firm Ningbo Dafa Chemical Fiber also aims to double production capacity by opening a new 0.32 plant in Osaka Prefecture in 2017 .