Paper waste stacks up in China.

(Zhenghua Zhuhai China/Getty Images)

At a Glance

Earlier this year, China placed a ban on much of the recyclable solid waste that is sent from the United States.China imported about a third of all U.S. recyclables.Now that China is somewhat out of the picture, recyclables are piling up at centers across the U.S.

Signs are pointing to a recycling crisis that could eventually lead to the end of recycling as we know it, experts say.

For years, the United States exported much of itsrecyclables because it was a cheapersolution and cities could actually turn a profit by selling to China. Between 1988 and 2016, some 26.7 million tons of recyclables , NPR reported.

Earlier this year, China imposed a ban on the importof recyclablewaste from Western countries, including the U.S. Now that China has eliminated or reduced the recyclablesit will accept, paper, plastic, glass and other solid wastes are piling up at centers across the nation.

“All of a sudden, material being collected on the street ,” Pete Keller, vice president of recycling and sustainability at Republic Services, one of the largest waste managers in the country, told the New York Times.

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Keller noted that Republic has divertedmore than 2,000 tons of paper to landfills in thePacific Northwest since the Chinese ban came into effect.

Residents in some communities across the region are being told to stop recycling milk and egg cartons, along with other goods, much to thechagrin of the eco-conscious.

“I was angry,” Theresa Burn of Salem, Oregon, told the New York Times of her city's decision to now consider some once-recyclable products as garbage. “I believe in recycling.”

In the coming weeks, the massive number of that will be doled out for the holidays could wind up in landfills rather than recycled as reusable gift boxes, according to a report by USAToday. The same goes for glass and plastics.

For years, up to 45 percent of the world's plastics were sent to China to be recycled, NPR reported.But in 2017, China passed the National Sword policy, banning solid waste, including plastics, glass andpaper,from being imported from the West. The country citedfor the ban that began in January.

According to a , an estimated 122.4 million tons of plastic waste will be displaced by 2030 as a result of China's ban.

Numerous cities across the nation are either imposing higher recycling fees or considering abandoning recycling altogether, USA Today reported.

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Cardboard has become particularly problematic. With more people shopping online, the consumption of cardboard boxes has skyrocketed.

UPS predictsit will delivermore than this holiday season, up from 762 millionduring the same time period last year. If FedExmatches last year's total, another will be added to the equation.

Communities have found other countries that will buy their recyclables, including India and Thailand, but typically at a much lower price. According to the USA Today report, mixed paper was fetching$85 to $95 a ton before China pulled the plug. Now, it's closer to $6.50 to $8.50 a ton. And most of these countriespicking up the slack do nothave waste management systems that are on par with China.

Instead of making a profit by selling the waste abroad, many cities have to pay to have it hauled away.

Part of the problem also stems from how America recycles. Typically, all recyclables end up in one bin, which can lead to contamination. Only clean cardboard, for example, can be recycled. If it is covered in food or other products, it's useless for recycling. China still accepts some recyclables but only the cleanest are allowed in.

Waste management experts say theapproach must be changed completely if recycling is going to have a future in the U.S.

"There's a tremendous shift in the market when China won't take half of these plastics," Marian Chertow, director of the solid waste policy program at Yale University, told NPR. "I really think that this export mindset that has developed in the U.S. is one that has to change."

Other experts say the ban will ultimately be a good thing, forcing manufacturers, community leaders and nations to rethink the production of recyclable solid materials, from design to disposal.

"Slowing the [recycling] process down allows us to produce better-quality materials. Companies are adopting higher standards and much more stringent processes. ," Simon Ellin, chief executive of the Recycling Association in the United Kingdom, told CNN Money.