EDITORIAL
3recyclinginternational.com | March/April | 2020
I remember a phrase from a lesson at
school about ‘if America sneezes, the
rest of the world catches a cold’. These
days, of course, that can just as easily
apply to China, especially when it
comes to the scrap markets and recy-
cling.
Well, now we also have the coronavirus
and, sadly, the consequences are prov-
ing much more serious than a sneeze
or a cold. At Recycling International,
we are fully aware that the spread of
the virus, firstly in China and then
increasingly abroad, is making a real
difference to recyclers, traders and
their businesses. Most of our market
reports in this issue refer to uncertainty
caused by the virus. Cancelled or post-
poned trade shows and conferences
are the most obvious signs of this. If
the Japanese are talking about post-
poning the Olympic Games, it’s not
surprising that some international
gatherings of recyclers aren’t going
ahead. Even so, the Bureau of
International Recycling has told us it
hasn’t yet seen significant disruptions
to the movement of scrap.
The scare will be over at some time, of
course, and we can all go to back to
the important day-to-day business of
recycling, trading and manufacturing.
In recent months, it’s been fascinating
to see how Chinese investors have
moved overseas as tighter regulations
are imposed on scrap imports. As an
example, they’ve established a plastic
film recycling facility in the north of
England so that processed pellets
(‘industrial raw materials’) can be
shipped back to China (see pages
26-29). We can’t be 100% sure but we
think it’s the first investment of its kind
in the UK.
Meanwhile, I hope your business
escapes the blight of the coronavirus.
Martijn Reintjes
Chief Editor, Recycling International
Recycling International
Informaticaweg 3
7007 CP Doetinchem
The Netherlands
Corona
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+31 (0) 88 29 44 800
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03_viewpointchiefeditor.indd 3 05-03-20 12:21
