Exports Of Recyclables From EU To China Drops Sharply

Exports of recyclable plastic and paper to China from the EU has dropped sharply, according to the latest data from Eurostat.

In 2019, the exports of plastic waste to China dropped to 14,000 tonnes from 50,000 tonnes in 2018.

The EU exported about 1.4 million tonnes of plastic waste to China in 2016.

In 2017, China filed a notification with the World Trade Organisation (WTO) to ban the trade of four classes and 24 kinds of solid waste by the end of 2017.

These included all plastic scrap, unsorted waste paper, certain metal recycling residues, textiles and all unsorted waste or scrap.

The ban resulted in a shift in the destination of recyclable paper and plastic waste to other Asian countries and Turkey.

ESM