Import Ban and Clean Air:Estimating the Effect of China's Waste Import Ban on the Ozone Pollution

This study investigates the effects of the plastic waste ban on local air quality in China. Using city-level daily ozone concentrations, we examine whether the pollution levels differ between coastal and inland cities in China after the import ban. Obtained results show that the daily ozone concentration lowered by 2.2% in coastal cities after the import ban. Additional analyses suggest that the effect is heterogeneous: the reduction is larger in later period, larger in cities with dirty baseline pollution, and smaller in cities with higher rural population density. These results are suggestive of the impact of import ban as an indirect policy instrument.