Paterson: opportunity in waste export restrictions

Environment Secretary Owen Paterson has called on the UKs recycling sector to use export difficulties in the Far East as an opportunity to grow domestic reprocessing infrastructure.

Responding to reports of export restrictions being considered in China and a total ban on the import of waste plastics into Malaysia (see letsrecycle.com story) the Minister commented that he saw it as an opportunity for more material to be recycled in the UK, and urged the sector to grasp it with both hands.

Mr Paterson said: Trade in recyclable materials is a global market and I want to see UK businesses make money from it to help boost our economy. I want to see our own recycling industry grow, so we can grasp this opportunity with both hands.

The Ministers comments come in the wake of reports that the Chinese Ministry of Environmental Protection has looked at proposals to implement a ban on unwashed post-consumer plastic material from entering Chinese facilities from outside of the country.

This was followed by measures put in place by Malaysian authorities banning the import of all solid plastic waste from the European Union, which came to light last week (see letsrecycle.com story).

Targets

According to the Packaging and Films Association (PAFA) which represents packaging producers, the over supply of material created by falling demand in the Far East could lead to the UK missing its packaging recycling targets, which are set to rise from 2013.

But, while the Minister is understood not to be opposed to the export of recyclables, he is keen to see as much material recycled in the UK as possible and to see a growth in domestic reprocessing capacity in order for the targets to be met.

The UKs plastics recycling sectors vulnerability to activity in export markets was exposed earlier this year, when limited demand for material in the Far East, caused in particular by a lull in industrial activity in China saw the value of recovered plastics drop by as much as 20 per tonne for some grades (see letsrecycle.com story).

Although exporting waste is seen to have been a key driver in increasing recycling rates in the UK over the last decade, many within the sector believe that the continued export of significant amounts of recyclables overseas sees the UK economy missing out on revenue and job creation.