Treat all EU secondary exports the same, says EuRIC

European recyclers have reasserted concerns that a blanket ban on the exports of processed plastic scrap will harm the EU’s recycling industry.

The move comes after the European Parliament approved the revised Waste Shipment Regulation (WSR) which includes rules aimed at enhancing digital procedures to combat illegal waste shipments.EuRIC, the European Recycling Industries’ Confederation, welcomes the objective of the revised rules and says it is vital to distinguish between waste and non-waste materials. The umbrella group emphasises the importance of facilitating waste shipments as valuable resources, crucial for fostering an EU internal market for recycling.

A big warning  

But EuRIC says it is deeply concerned as export restrictions on trade with non-EU countries fail to differentiate between various streams, materials and markets. Recovered paper and recycled scrap metals for instance, are traded on global markets as commodities. But it warns a ban on plastic exports without outlet possibilities within Europe severely harms EU plastic recyclers and the domestic plastic recycling industry.

Creating market uncertainty

EuRIC secretary general Emmanuel Katrakis insists: ‘A coherent EU policy is urgently needed to align environmental, climate and industrial policy objectives towards economically and ecologically sustainable solutions.’ He argues that ambiguity surrounding revised export rules under the WSR creates uncertainty among market actors regarding outlets for recycled resources.