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Introduction: China's import bans on solid wastes starting from 2017 have challenged the global trade system of plastic wastes, which remains poorly characterized. This study chooses polyethylene (PE) as a case and aims to map out the global trade networks of PE waste (GPETN) from 1976 to 2017. Outcomes: We find that the size and complexity of the GPETN had been growing until 2016. After the mid-1990s, PE waste basically flowed from developed economies, mainly the EU and the US, to developing economies such as China. Since 2001 when admitted into the WTO, China's PE waste import surged until 2014 when it absorbed over 60% of global export. Regulations on solid waste import following the Green Fence campaign in 2013 resulted in substantial reductions in China's import as well as the global export of PE waste after 2014. Several other developing economies, such as Malaysia, Turkey, and Vietnam, had transitioned to net importers, but their imports were insufficient to replace China as new recycling bases for PE waste. Conclusion: The results highlight the urgent need of a joint effort for developed and developing countries to build a stronger global circular economy system with sufficient capacity to treat PE waste locally.

Waste paper, an essential substitute for wood and other plant-based fibers in paper making, is an indispensable part of the circular economy; yet, the impacts of China's ban on global waste paper cycles have not been well understood. We modeled the evolution of the global waste paper trade network during 1995− 2019. We found that the cumulative trade volume of global waste paper reached 1010 million tons in the last 25 years and showed a downward trend since 2015. The global import center of waste paper experienced a transfer from Europe to East Asia and then to Southeast Asia. The ban has stimulated some developed countries to reduce the exports of unsorted waste paper since 2017, but for many major importers their changes in waste paper trade patterns were related to waste paperboard, which was not banned by China, suggesting that this import change trend may be inevitable and irrespective of China's ban. Besides, India has replaced China to become a new import hub of unsorted waste paper. Our results lay a foundation for exploring the evolution of the future global solid waste cycle under the background of zero import of solid waste increasingly implemented by China and many other developing countries.