From the end of 2018, China will once again tighten regulations governing the import of plastics waste. According to an announcement by the Chinese Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE, Beijing; http://english.mep.gov.cn), 16 more types of waste – now including industrial plastic scrap – are to be banned from import after 31 December 2018. Effective 31 December 2019, the import ban is to be extended to a further 16 types of solid waste, affecting predominantly metal scrap.

Since the first round of import restrictions for post-consumer plastic waste came into force at the beginning of 2018, EU exports to the country have declined drastically – see Plasteurope.com of 20.04.2018.

The Bureau of International Recycling (BIR, Brussels / Belgium; www.bir.org) has urged that the scrap processing capacity of the global recycling industry outside China be increased. Meanwhile, the US Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (Isri, Washington, D.C.; www.isri.org) has warned that the bans could increase the consumption of primary materials in China, and thus thwart Beijing's objective to conserve resources.

e-Service:
BIR's translated list of solid waste imports affected by restrictions as a PDF file.