City Councilman Chris Cate wants the Trump administration to make recycling a high priority in trade talks with China because the city has too much waste. In the past, San Diego sent most of its recyclables to China. But China recently imposed new restrictions on recycled material coming from abroad. That threatens to increase city waste management expenses and could cause paper, plastics and metals to be thrown into landfills rather than reused.

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Cate outlined his thoughts on Thursday in a letter to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.

 

President Trump’s protectionist trade policies have previously draw criticism from other politicians in San Diego, which is the largest city in the country with a Republican mayor. Mayor Kevin Faulconer, for instance, has repeatedly talked about the importance of trade with Tijuana.