The Basel Convention and prior studies mainly focused
on the physical
transboundary movements of hazardous waste (transporting waste from
one region to another for cheaper disposal). Here, we take China,
the world’s largest waste producer, as an example and reveal
the virtual hazardous waste flows in trade (outsourcing waste by importing
waste-intensive products) by developing a multiregional input–output
model. Our model characterizes the impact of international trade between
China and 140 economies and China’s interprovincial trade on
hazardous waste generated by 161,599 Chinese enterprises. We find
that, in 2015, virtual hazardous waste flows in China’s trade
reached 26.6 million tons (67% of the national total), of which 31%
were generated during the production of goods that were ultimately
consumed abroad. Trade-related production is much dirtier than locally
consumed production, generating 26% more hazardous waste per unit
of GDP. Under the impact of virtual flows, 40% of the waste-intensive
production and relevant disposal duty is unequally concentrated in
three Chinese provinces (including two least-developed ones, Qinghai
and Xinjiang). Our findings imply the importance of expanding the
scope of transboundary waste regulations and provide a quantitative
basis for introducing consumer responsibilities. This may help relieve
waste management burdens in less-developed “waste havens”.