Trade Body Calls for Fresh Investments to Counter Scrap Import Restrictions

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): The Brussels-based Plastics Recyclers Europe (PRE) has noted that significant investments by industry participants are vital for the industry to successfully confront the Chinese scrap import restrictions.

According to PRE, Europe has long been exporting low-quality plastic scrap to China. Over the years, European region has been actively involved in the unfair practice of dumping low-quality scrap plastics into overseas markets including China. The sudden halt on such imports by that country has led to turmoil in plastic waste markets, PRE noted.

Ton Emans, PRE’s president stated that the market is currently oversupplied with low qualities of plastics waste. This also highlights related issues including ineffectual collection and sorting systems under practice in majority of the material recovery facilities (MRFs). For many years, there has been an excess of low-quality plastics sent for reprocessing. These used to be exported to developing countries without ensuring that the exported waste is being treated in accordance with EU standards, Emans said. Further, Emans also blamed lack of vision of the value chain over the years for the inability to treat waste domestically.

Following import restrictions imposed by China, the EU has found it extremely difficult to absorb this surplus waste. This is mainly due to the fact that such waste doesn’t meet the quality requirements of European recyclers. Under these circumstances, it is necessary for European recycling system to undergo thorough revamp in techniques employed to collect, sort and recycle waste. The strict contamination rate of 0.3% prescribed by Chinese administration on various grades of waste exported to the country calls for highly efficient sorting centers. This essentially means that recyclers may have to make significant investments in upgrading the existing recycling systems so as to make them more competitive.

PRE calls it the right time for changes and investments towards creation of sustainable waste market in Europe. Industry, policy makers and society must join hands to come up with a common solution to improve the standards of recycling mechanism. Harmonized recycling collections and empowerment of recycling facilities with state-of-the-art technologies would help to increase EU’s recycling capacity, it noted.

Established in 1996, PRE represents plastics recyclers in Europe. The Association currently has more than 120 members with a total recycling capacity of nearly 2.5 million tonnes of plastics waste per year.