More countries crackdown on recyclables imports

Originally published on 19 December 2018 by Waste Management Review

As Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam all move to crack down on waste imports, Australia and many global markets are now being faced with a need to look to their own domestic processing capabilities. 

Following China’s National Sword imports ban, most exporters of recyclables, including Australia, had turned to other other Asian nations. Now that more and more countries are reviewing their stance on the importation of recyclables such as paper and plastic, MRA’s April 2018 report findings become even more relevant. As reported by Waste Management Review:

“MRA’s modelling identified that if the government was to intervene in the paper reprocessing market, it would be more cost-effective to upscale existing mills than to build new facilities… At $300 a tonne, a capital contribution from government of $30 million would achieve the direct diversion of 100,000 tonnes a year, or 200,000 tonnes per year with a 50 per cent co-contribution from the private sector… In terms of plastics to meet the 40,000 tonnes exported to China, Australia would need to build two facilities or invest $8 to $14 million…”  Read more