No reports of stockpiling of waste materials as a result of the restriction on exports of paper and plastics to China have been received so far, according to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
Defra said today (5 January) that since China announced its intentions last year, it has worked with the Chinese Embassy, the Environment Agency, WRAP, the devolved administrations and representatives from local government to understand the potential impact of the ban and the action that needs to be taken.
The Department highlighted China’s decision to restrict imports of recycled paper and plastic as having a global impact.
Plastic film is one of the grades impacted by the restrictions on exports to China
Mix of markets
It notes that “In the UK we use a mix of our own domestic markets as well as those abroad, with China being our main export market. Alternative solutions to dealing with the waste in the short term, such as new markets, are being sought.
“While we recognise that China’s decision will cause some issues in the short term for recycling in the UK, and there may be concerns over the potential for materials to build-up, to date we have received no reports of waste ‘stockpiling’. We will continue to monitor China’s implementation of the restrictions as well as the impact in the UK.”
Plastic
The Department explained that in the UK 3.7 million tonnes of plastic waste and 9.1 million tonnes of waste paper a year are created in the UK.
And, it said that of that total, “the UK exports 0.8 million tonnes of plastic to countries around the world, of which 0.4 million tonnes is sent to China (including Hong Kong). The UK also exports 3.7 million tonnes of paper waste to China (including Hong Kong)”.
Defra also pointed out that Germany, Japan and the US have larger challenges in terms of exports, particularly on the plastics front. Giving figures for exports, it states: “China’s decision has a global impact. As a comparison, other countries including Germany (0.6 million tonnes), Japan and the US (both 1.5 million tonnes) export more plastic to China for reprocessing than the UK.”
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Source: letsrecycle.com Plastic
