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Nearly 80 percent of recyclables from San Diego make their way across the ocean to China.
That’s now a problem because China no longer wants it. Much of the recycled material that is sorted and sent from the United States is considered contaminated by Chinese standards.
The country’s new, tougher standards could cost the city of San Diego $1.5 million, but negotiations are still underway for a better deal.
On this week’s San Diego Explained, Voice of San Diego’s Ry Rivard and NBC 7’s Monica Dean unpack China’s new recycling policies and explain how it could affect San Diegans’ trash bills.