De mere udviklede landes manglende evne til at genbruge har også skabt paradokse situationer, hvor man er økonomisk afhængig af bestemte ressourcer.
– Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, it is a well-known and long-established fact that waste is exported to countries where, because of their economic or political dependence, they merely collect rather than actually dispose of the leftovers from what richer societies consume.