US scrap plastic exports see sudden drop in Nov '14

SPOKANE (Scrap Monster): According to latest government data, the exports of scrap plastic by the US dropped sharply during the month of November last year, in comparison with the previous month. Also, the exports dropped significantly when matched with those during November 2013. However, exports of recovered plastic during the initial eleven-month period in 2014 maintained higher levels when compared with the exports during January to November in 2013.

The country’s exports of plastic scrap during the month of November 2014 totaled 370.55 million pounds. When compared with the exports during October 2014, the volume of exports was sharply down by 19.6%. Also, the exports dropped by 6.3% when compared with those during November 2013. The US plastic scrap exports had totaled 395.40 million pounds during Nov ’13.

The weighted price of scrap plastic exports during November last year amounted to 20.79 cents per pound. The weighted price saw uptick of 5.2% from Oct 2014 levels. The weighted price of scrap plastic exports during Oct ’14 had amounted to 19.77 cents per pound. Upon comparison with November 2013, the weighted price was down by 3.9%.

The US exports of recovered plastic during the initial eleven-month period of the year amounted to 4.43 billion pounds. The exports were higher by 15% when compared with the exports during the corresponding eleven-month period in 2013.

The average price of scrap plastic exports during the period from January through November in 2014 was 19.84 cents per pound, which is 3.2% down year-on-year.

Industry sources indicate that scrap plastic exports from the US are likely to maintain higher levels during Dec ’14 for which official data is yet to be published.