Indonesia Indefinitely Postpones Proposed Curbs on Recovered Paper Imports

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster):  The Indonesian inspection authorities have decided to postpone implementation of new inspection rules on waste paper imports. The postponement is for an indefinite period and the exact date of implementation is unknown, as of today.

The latest communication from authorities state that the guidelines for new inspection methods have been approved to be postponed in advance until further notice. Till then, the inspections will be limited to 10% of the incoming loads.

Earlier, KSO SucoFindo- Surveyor Indonesia Jakarta Central Office had issued a letter on revision of inspection method of waste paper, declaring the 10% stiffing supervision method on waste paper inspection as invalid. It had denoted returning to its original rules of 100% stuffing supervision. In order to implement strict controls on hazardous or toxic contaminants, it also suggested opening of at least 2% of random items from the total shipment bales. Further, it had set the maximum impurity limit as 0.5%. The change in inspection conditions were supposed to take effect from April 1^st, 2019 onwards.

Ever since the imposition of strict controls by the Chinese authorities, Indonesia has become a dumping ground of recovered paper exported from developed countries. The country emerged as the third largest importer of recovered paper from the U.S., only behind China and India. The monthly import volumes skyrocketed to 169,000 short tons in January this year, as compared with the imports of just around 69,000 short tons in the same month a year before.

This story originally appeared in www.resource-recycling.com