"Parts of the market will have to be reinvented," said a waste plastics merchant in Germany describing the dramatic situation which has followed in the wake of tightened Chinese import regulations.
There was hardly anything still going to China - with the exception of big bags and production waste, said market participants in Germany. There were also problems with shipments of plastic waste to Vietnam, where mixed commercial film could still be sold in some cases.
At the end of November export merchants took drastic steps: to accept grades 80/20 and below they were asking steep waste management fees, which was interpreted as strategy to discourage offers given the dearth of sales outlets.
The full report on the German waste plastics market including the price table appears in issue 25/2017 of EUWID Recycling and Waste Management on 13 December 2017. Online subscribers can already already access it here:
