Sunday, January 09, 2022
From industry and packaging
Export of plastic waste is falling sharply
Germany exports hundreds of thousands of tons of plastic abroad – waste that is considered a raw material, but is not always properly recycled. Exports decrease sharply in the pandemic. There are many reasons.
Germany’s plastic waste exports to other countries have fallen significantly. Last year around 697,000 tons of plastic exports were transported, a third (32 percent) less than in 2020, said the Federal Association of the German Waste Management, Water and Raw Materials Management (BDE). This includes industrial films, production waste and food packaging.
The BDE cited increased domestic demand, import restrictions in Asian countries and the consequences of corona, including interrupted supply chains, as possible reasons for the decline. The figures for the months January to October come from the Federal Statistical Office, the months November and December are estimates by the BDE.
The plastic waste is considered a raw material. If it is recycled into granules in accordance with the rules, it can be used in new products, for example in polyester clothing, garbage bags or street bollards. Waste exports to countries outside the EU are particularly controversial. In some cases, they are not properly recycled but end up in the countryside as garbage. For example, photos of German plastic packaging on an illegal landfill in Malaysia made negative headlines a few years ago.
In the meantime, however, Asian countries are more restrictive when it comes to imports in order to protect their environment. The amount of plastic waste exported to Malaysia fell from around 170,000 tons in 2020 to 46,000 tons last year.