China extends ban on scrap plastic

China has expanded its ‘Bordergate Sword’ campaign against foreign recyclate to all ‘hazardous’ foreign waste products.

Steel slag, ash, waste wool and yarn will be banned from import to China, aswell as all scrap plastic.

China has filed a notice with the World Trade Organisation in Geneva, which said: “To protect China's environmental interests and people's health, we urgently adjust the imported solid wastes list, and forbid the import of solid wastes that are highly polluted.”

China’s plan, also known as ‘National Sword’, represents an overhaul of its recyclate market, as it aims to improve toxic environmental quality in its cities and shift the recycling industry to higher quality materials.

British plastic recycler Vanden Recycling has said that the UK recycling sector shouldn’t have been taken by surprised by the announcement.

David Wilson, Vanden Managing Director, said: “There have been warnings from China that a ban on imports of all plastics scrap was on the agenda. But in the UK, we have been too slow to respond and this is going to cause chaos in meeting plastic recycling targets and will likely lead to even higher PRN/PERN prices for plastics as a key market is cut off.

"There had been rumours that China would allow the highest quality regrind to be imported, but this is not the case. Only first remelt quality material will now be allowed into the country.

“This is a warning to the UK recycling sector as a whole that we also need to ensure that we produce the highest quality product to ensure it has a market. China has cut off imports of scrap plastics because of pollution and environmental concerns, and we should not give other countries the opportunity to do the same by providing them with low grade scrap plastics.”

Last year China imported 7.3 million tonnes of waste plastics, valued at £2.8 billion, accounting for 56 per cent of world imports. Ten per cent of this is from Japan and ten per cent from the USA.