China to expand import ban on waste

Imports and Exports | Axonn Ltd | MIC Customs Solutions | 20 November 2018

China will be banning another eight types of waste as it seeks to curb rubbish imports going into the country.

China is to expand a ban on imported waste after becoming disgruntled about becoming the world's rubbish and recycling basket.

The first bans on solid waste imports came into effect almost a year ago and caused nations across the globe to have to rethink how they dispose of many different waste materials.

Now, another eight categories have been added to the list on top of the original 24 already banned, according to the official news agency Xinhua.

The regulatory action is set to come into effect on December 31st and includes ships, auto parts, scrap, titanium, wood and stainless steel waste.

According to a study published in the journal Science Advances, 72 per cent of plastic waste has ended up in China and Hong Kong since 1992, a trend that both nations are now keen to reverse.

Beijing has said it no longer wants to be known for its willingness to accept all the world's waste and is putting the new measures in place as part of a push towards environmentalism.

Indeed, it has set a contamination level of 0.5 per cent for cardboard and metal and previously announced plans to cut waste imports to 18 types by the end of 2019.

However, this has caused problems for exporters worldwide, who have had to find other markets for their waste material in order for it to be disposed of.

Analysts fear the trend could lead to waste being illegally dumped in third world countries that do not have the facilities to adequately dispose of it.

The news comes after Thailand also said it would be putting a ban on scrap electronics entering the country within the next three months, with 432 types of the material no longer to be accepted there going forward.

Anyone who produces, imports, exports or disposes of waste has a legal duty of care to ensure it is handled safely and only passed to other parties who are authorized to receive it.

This applies throughout the whole of the shipment chain, so always check individual nations' guidance if you are unsure of new legislation that may have been implemented.