Trade-war waste
China is bringing the trade war to this country’s trash bins. It’s imposing tariffs and new restrictions on recycled paper, plastics and metal in a way that’s harming a once steady market for American throwaways. That blue bin may never be the same.
China’s changes are producing a backup at recycling centers due to a major switch in import rules. This month, China issued a 25 percent tariff on American cardboard, scrap plastic and fiber packaging, a move expected to impact the 14.6 million tons of California recyclables, according to the industry. The higher duty is a direct response to President Trump’s tariff and restrictions on Chinese goods entering this country.
China is upping the battle in other ways. The country is toughening its environmental standards and wants cleaner detritus. It’s insisting that the level of impurities drop in cargo shipments. That stricter level is aimed at hazardous and toxic waste that gets mixed in with reusable materials, but it could also mean screening out stained coffee cups or used pizza boxes to meet the new threshold.
The evidence of these changes is piling up. Bales of recycled material are heaped at a Marin disposal site. San Francisco Recology, which handles collections in the city, is investing in new equipment and robotics, the better to clean up its paper trash for choosy buyers. The firm now ships plastic waste at increased cost to Indonesia and Vietnam for recycling due to the changes in Chinese rules.
The recycling woes are more than a footnote in the trade fight. Taken far enough, a worsening trash world could have major effects. Bills could climb higher to bury or cart away materials that used to be sold on the recycling market. Consumers who are getting the hang of tossing their trash into multiple garbage cans will need to think again about what they toss away. Separating trash could get more complicated.
An easier answer would be a pause in the trade war. If tariffs are dropped, the recycling market could revive. That would be a clean end to a messy situation.