Although Chinese scrap plastic import permits remain scarce, the government has ramped up the volume of recycled paper it is allowing into the country to levels not seen since March.
The Chinese government provides an option for pre-shipment inspections, and California lawmakers may add language about National Sword into state law. These are among the recent developments as China continues to revise its import regulations and the U.S. recycling industry reacts.
A Thai policy restricting the import of scrap plastics has proved effective. U.S. scrap plastic exports to the country dropped by 94 percent after the ban took hold.
This story has been corrected.
The U.S. and China have fired their latest salvo in their ongoing trade war, and this time tariffs have been applied to a number of additional U.S. recyclables.
Governments in Southeast Asia are following through on promises to heavily restrict scrap imports. Meanwhile, a U.S. senator has singled out a shuttered West Coast paper mill as a possible outlet for recovered fiber.
To keep up with the top export destinations for U.S.-sourced recyclables, Resource Recycling examined the latest shipping data from the U.S. Department of Commerce.
This story has been updated.
The Chinese government plans to levy a 25 percent tariff on U.S. shipments of OCC and other recovered fiber, as well as scrap plastic, in retaliation for the latest U.S. tariff proposals.
Casella Waste Systems and Advanced Disposal each saw recycling revenues fall over 40 percent in the second quarter, financial filings show.