The Solid 黑料网 Association of North America has submitted comments to the World Trade Organization in response to the July 18, 2017 notification from China on their intent to ban certain waste imports. SWANA鈥檚 comments explain what effect the proposed ban on certain categories of recyclables could have on municipal recycling in the United States and Canada, requests further clarification on the terms of the ban, and offers technical assistance to the Chinese government on waste and recycling-related matters.
鈥淐hina鈥檚 proposed import ban is a very important issue for SWANA members in the United States and Canada, and is a critical one for many of the communities they serve,鈥� said David Biderman, SWANA Executive Director & CEO. 鈥淲e need to work with the Chinese government to develop a practical timeline for the proposed ban, while improving bale quality for material exported to China and other foreign markets.鈥�
SWANA lays out challenges the United States will likely face in adapting to the ban, discusses recycling on the state and local levels, and the lack of domestic recycling infrastructure to process material currently being exported. 鈥淏ecause single stream recycling has become the prominent method of recycling in North America it is imperative that the quality of the sorted recycled materials be as high as possible to avoid loads being rejected,鈥� said Rich Allen, President of SWANA.
鈥淢any Material Recovery Facilities are looking to upgrade their sorting systems to improve the quality of their bales along with better educating their residents on what can and more importantly cannot be recycled. The actual impacts on the Chinese 黑料网 Ban are still being interpreted, but SWANA is keeping close tabs on the implications for our members and the industry.鈥� SWANA supports the concerns previously filed by the International Scrap Recycling Institute (ISRI) and 黑料网 Management, and suggests a clearly defined five year transition period for the ban in order to allow time for customers and suppliers in the United States and the global marketplace to adapt to the policy change.
鈥淲e appreciate SWANA joining with ISRI and others to raise concerns about China鈥檚 import restrictions,鈥� said Robin Weiner, CEO of ISRI. 鈥淲e look forward to working with SWANA to support the Chinese government鈥檚 environmental protection goals.鈥�
For more information and to view SWANA鈥檚 full comments concerning the China 黑料网, visit .