U.S. Plastic Scrap Exports Plunged to Hit Historic Lows

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): The trade data published by the U.S. Census Bureau under the U.S. Department of Commerce suggested that scrap plastic exports from the country hit the lowest level in history during the previous year. The country shipped 1.37 billion pounds of scrap plastic in 2020, significantly down from 1.46 billion pounds of exports during the year before that.

The largest export destination was Canada, which imported 349 million pounds of scrap plastic throughout the year. The country’s imports accounted for nearly 26% of all scrap plastic exported by the U.S. during the year.

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The U.S. and Canada had recently reached an agreement, by which scrap plastic trade across their border is exempted from new Basel rules. This ensures that the trade between these two countries may continue unabated, even though there are possibilities that trade with other countries may be impacted on account of recent changes to the Basel Convention.

The second largest importer was Malaysia, whose imports totalled 263 million pounds. The relocation of many Chinese plastics recycling firms to Malaysia, following Chinese restrictions, resulted in increased flow of scrap plastic to that country.

The other top importers include Mexico (137 million), Vietnam (115 million), Hong Kong (78 million), Indonesia (48 million), Taiwan (44 million) and India (44 million).