China has decreased purchases of old corrugated containers, which has caused domestic and export prices for the key fiber grade to fall.
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China has decreased purchases of old corrugated containers, which has caused domestic and export prices for the key fiber grade to fall.
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China’s scrap import restrictions and their rippling market effects pared recycling revenues for Waste Management and Waste Connections last year.
Recycling revenues fell last year for one major hauler, hampered by China’s import restrictions and low fiber prices. Meanwhile, the company opened what it calls a next-generation MRF in Texas.
U.S. trade figures for November 2018 were released last week, showing that more recovered fiber and significantly less plastic was shipped out of the country.
Year-end customs figures from the Chinese government quantify the country’s marked decrease in recyclable material purchases in the first year of new import restrictions.
In its first release of import permits for 2019, China’s environmental ministry approved a larger volume of recovered fiber than in any single release last year.
Southeast Asian countries are moving to constrain imports of recyclables, but some exporters are mislabeling scrap plastic shipments to get around the restrictions.
Even as exporters move off of China as a destination for certain recyclables, the country remains a crucial market. And several recent Chinese developments carry industry-wide implications.
Governments across Southeast Asia continue to restrict recovered material imports. In the latest developments, Taiwan added plastic and paper restrictions, Vietnam rolled out new guidelines and Malaysia considered importing from certain countries only.
China has ramped up its purchases of U.S. OCC in recent months, according to the latest trade data. Meanwhile, Southeast Asian restrictions continue to stifle scrap plastic movement.