Muzaffarnagar: Final destination for tonnes of America's plastic waste

Plastic waste that starts off in Americans' recycling bins ends up at illegal dumpsites - and inside the lungs of people in Muzaffarnagar

Muzaffarnagar, a city about 80 miles north of New Delhi, is famous in India for two things: Colonial-era freedom fighters who helped drive out the British and the production of jaggery. Less likely to feature in tourism guides is Muzaffarnagar’s new status as the final destination for tonnes of supposedly recycled American plastic.

A few children picked through the mounds, looking for discarded toys, while unmasked waste pickers sifted for metal cans or intact plastic bottles that could be sold. Although much of it was sodden or shredded, labels hinted at how far these items had travelled: Kirkland-brand almonds from