China has been the world’s garbage dump for a long time, but, on January 1st, the country closed its borders for trash input, saying that they would no longer be taking in any of the world’s toxic waste. Because of the large amounts of raw materials being dumped into China, its air pollution and environmental degradation have dramatically worsened. However, plans to ban raw materials that have been thrown away have been put in place, and China is desperate to eject every bit of waste from the country.

The ban on garbage has prompted other countries to do the same. With China making an effort to get rid of all its waste, other countries are discussing what to do with their own trash. Places such as Canada and Germany are trying to figure out solutions for their garbage such as where to put it without hurting the environment.

China’s efforts to limit its pollution and trash are an important message for all of us: it’s time we stop consuming so much plastic and “go green.” Plant more flowers and vegetables. Use eco-friendly cars. Purchase more solar panels. If we continue to make our landfills bigger and bigger, the Earth may as well hurt us, because we will be hurting the planet itself.