Chinese Customs Tightens Controls on Recycled Plastic Pellet Imports

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): The Bureau of International Recycling (BIR) reported that Chinese administration has further tightened the regulations for import of recycled plastic pellet into the country.

The controls by Chinese customs authorities have been in effect from September 1^st, 2020. The imported bales need to be strictly in accordance with uniformity constraints related to color, size and packaging. This essentially means that the shipped pellets must not be mixed together and should be separated based on the above characteristics. The violation of any of the above would lead to imposition of penalty, ranging from anywhere between $75K and $750K.

Furthermore, the country is likely to release an update of the China Standard for Recycled Plastic Pellets, which is expected to come into force in 2021. The update is likely to make requirements related to uniformities even tougher.

Meantime, the Chinese restrictions have resulted in many recyclers putting a halt to export materials into that country, as they wait for more clarity in the situation. A handful of Chinese plastics recycling companies have set up facilities in other countries, where they process imported raw scrap material into finished pellets, which are then shipped to China.

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