Waste not, want not, as China ban hits recycling

0 For years China has been the world’s largest importer of recyclable materials The UK’S recycling industry gave warning yesterday that it faces a major problem in how to cope with a new Chinese ban on imports of plastic waste.

Britain has been shipping up to 500,000 tonnes of plastic for recycling in China every year, but that has now been stopped with effect from this month.

Simon Ellin, chief executive of the UK Recycling Association, said he had no immediate idea how the problem could be solved. “It’s a huge blow for us...a game- changer for our industry.

“We’ve relied on China so long for our waste, 55 per cent of paper, 25 per cent of plastics. We simply don’t have the markets in the UK. It’s going to mean big changes in our industry.”

The UK has exported over 2.7m tonnes of plastic waste to China and Hong Kong since 2012 – two-thirds of Britain’s waste plastic exports.

The ban is part of president Xi Jinping’s drive to create a “beautiful China” with a clean environment.