Recovered material imports, like the 1 million tons of recovered fiber the U.S. brought in from Canada last year, appear to be tariff-exempt under a new executive order. | John New/Shutterstock

The U.S. tariff whirlwind continues this month: Many imports from Canada and Mexico, including those of recycled materials, had their tariffs suspended two days after they took effect last week, while previously announced tariffs on aluminum and steel from all countries took effect Wednesday.
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The tariffs threaten to raise costs to import end-of-life batteries, circuit boards and mixed e-scrap from Canada and Mexico. | priscilla list/Shutterstock

March 7 update: Some of the new tariffs on imports from both Mexico and Canada were paused following executive orders President Donald Trump signed on March 6. The orders exempt goods that enter the U.S. under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, which would appear to exempt recycled materials, but it’s not entirely clear. Canada’s first round of retaliatory tariffs appears to remain in effect.

The Recycled Materials Association warned of potential “severe” disruption to the materials recovery sector after tariffs targeting the U.S.’s largest trading partners took effect this week. Some tariffs on Mexican imports were paused for another month on March 6. Meanwhile, Canada’s proposed response includes tariffs on U.S. exports of recycled materials. Continue Reading