Skip to main content
Sister Publication Links
  • Sustainable Plastics
  • Rubber News
Subscribe
  • Sign Up Free
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • News
    • Processor News
    • Suppliers
    • More News
    • Digital Edition
    • End Markets
    • Special Reports
    • Newsletters
    • Videos
    • Podcasts
    • Injection Molding
    • Blow Molding
    • Film & Sheet
    • Pipe/Profile/Tubing
    • Rotomolding
    • Thermoforming
    • Recycling
    • Machinery
    • Materials
    • Molds/Tooling
    • Product news
    • Design
    • K Show
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Sustainability
    • Public Policy
    • Material Insights Videos
    • Numbers that Matter
    • Automotive
    • Packaging
    • Medical
    • Consumer Products
    • Construction
    • CFO of the Year
    • Notable Leaders in Sustainability
    • Processor of the Year
    • Best Places to Work
    • Women Breaking the Mold
    • Rising Stars
    • Diversity
    • Most Interesting Social Media Accounts in Plastics
  • Opinion
    • The Plastics Blog
    • Kickstart
    • One Good Resin
    • Pellets and Politics
    • All Things Data
    • Viewpoint
    • From Pillar to Post
    • Perspective
    • Mailbag
    • Fake Plastic Trees
  • Shop Floor
    • Blending
    • Compounding
    • Drying
    • Injection Molding
    • Purging
    • Robotics
    • Size Reduction
    • Structural Foam
    • Tooling
    • Training
  • Events
    • Plastics News Events
    • Industry Events
    • Injection Molding & Design Expo
    • Livestreams/Webinars
    • Editorial Livestreams
    • Ask the Expert
    • Plastics News Events Library
    • Plastics News Executive Forum
    • Injection Molding & Design Expo
    • Plastics Caps + Closures: A Global Online Event
    • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum
    • Bioplastics Live
    • Numbers that Matter Live
    • PFAS Live
    • Plastics in Politics Live
    • PN Live: Mergers and Acquisitions
    • Polymer Points Live
    • Sustainable Plastics Live
    • Plastics Caps & Closures Library
    • Plastics in Healthcare Library
    • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum Library
  • Rankings & Data
    • Injection Molders
    • Blow Molders
    • Film Sheet
    • Thermoformers
    • Pipe Profile Tubing
    • Rotomolders
    • Mold/Toolmakers
    • LSR Processors
    • Recyclers
    • Compounders - List
    • Association - List
    • Plastic Lumber - List
    • All
  • Directory
  • Resin Prices
    • Resin Prices Overview
    • Commodity Thermoplastics
    • High Temperature Thermoplastics
    • Engineering Thermoplastics
    • Recycled Plastics
    • Thermosets
    • Europe - Virgin
    • Europe - Recycled
    • Europe - Feedstock
  • Custom
    • Sponsored Content
    • LS Mtron Sponsored Content
    • Conair Sponsored Content
    • KraussMaffei Sponsored Content
    • ENGEL Sponsored Content
    • White Papers
    • Classifieds
    • Place an Ad
    • Sign up for Early Classified
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. News
News
May 06, 2013 02:00 AM

China getting tough on contamination

Kerri Jansen
WASTE && RECYCLING NEWS
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More

    ORLANDO, FLA. — Heightened inspection procedures at China's ports are causing delays and confusion for scrap exporters.

    Talk of China's so-called "Operation Green Fence" could be heard around presentation rooms, exhibitor booths and lunch tables at the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries Inc.'s annual Convention & Exposition in Orlando earlier this month. Exporters of paper, plastic and metal scrap reported expensive delays in their shipments to China, and more shipments turned away in customs.

    The new measures, initiated by China's new president, Xi Jinping, are intended to curb the amount of solid waste contamination the country imports. It involves stricter enforcement of quality requirements for imported recovered materials, but no new legislation.

    "Many customs officers were not doing their work properly and some hazardous waste and rubbish materials had been recently found in containers at some ports," Francis Veys, director general of the Bureau of International Recycling, wrote in an email to Waste & Recycling News. "The customs authorities are opening more containers and if they find any materials which do not meet the Chinese quality requirements they return the whole lot to the suppliers."

    Peter Wang, CEO of America Chung Nam, the primary recovered paper supplier to Nine Dragons Paper in China, warned of tougher import restrictions during a presentation at the Residential Recycling Conference held in March in Chicago.

    "If China customs found a syringe, even if it's just one, in a bale of plastic, it's considered medical waste and the whole shipment would get rejected," he said. "And in paper, if they see too much plastic in the paper, also that could actually trigger a rejection in customs as well. And the cargo would pretty much have to go back to the origin point."

    The pertinent legislation was introduced in 2006 and confirmed in 2010. China's government mandates that at least 3 percent of containers be inspected, but customs agents may open "up to 100 percent if they feel there is any problem with the shipment," Wang said.

    Initiatives to improve communication between ports and centralize information are also planned.

    The Bureau of International Recycling reported several exporters from the U.S. and worldwide had suspended shipments to China in light of customs tie-ups.

    Scrap exporters and industry groups alike are scrambling to learn what impact the new procedures will have on business. Some reports indicate the crackdown will end in November; others speculate the initiative could be the beginning of progressively tighter controls on China's imports.

    The matter is complicated by the opportunity for what one industry expert called "subjective decisions" by customs officials.

    Russ DeLozier, director of sustainability for J&J Industries, suggested the rules might be a ploy to get better prices for scrap materials.

    "When I see some of these green regulations, my skepticism comes out to say, how much is gamesmanship?" he said. "Every single time, in times I've traded with [Chinese importers] and I've seen them pull out regulations, I've ultimately seen my prices go down ... and I'm certain, after my eyes have seen what had happened, that they'd paid off officials. I'm certain of that."

    DeLozier emphasized the value of actually visiting China to better understand business practices there.

    "China's different, and if we think that when we're trading with China, we're trading with a company that's similar in values to ours, we're totally coming to the table blindfolded," he said.

    U.S. scrap exporters should ensure shipments bound for China are totally clean and make themselves available to inspectors before loads are delivered, but still expect delays, Xavier Cronin of PetroChem Wire said during a presentation at the ISRI Convention & Exposition.

    "From what we're hearing about the inspections, loads being turned back, you are going to see less material getting to China, at least for now," Cronin said.

    RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
    Auto lighting supplier ZKW invests $108M to further expand Mexico plant
    Letter
    to the
    Editor

    Do you have an opinion about this story? Do you have some thoughts you'd like to share with our readers? Plastics News would love to hear from you. Email your letter to Editor at [email protected]

    Most Popular
    1
    Illinois molding company owner arrested on child pornography charges
    2
    Congress proposes nationwide ‘Farewell to Foam' legislation
    3
    Japanese EV battery pouch maker invests $233M in first US plant
    4
    Complications on the rise for concentrate makers
    5
    Kickstart: Covering growth in roofing
    SIGN UP FOR OUR FREE NEWSLETTERS
    EMAIL ADDRESS

    Please enter a valid email address.

    Please enter your email address.

    Please verify captcha.

    Please select at least one newsletter to subscribe.

    Find more newsletters at plasticsnews.com/newsletters.

    You can unsubscribe at any time through links in these emails. For more information, see our Privacy Policy.

    Get our newsletters

    Staying current is easy with Plastics News delivered straight to your inbox, free of charge.

    Subscribe today

    Subscribe to Plastics News

    Subscribe now
    Connect with Us
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram

    Plastics News covers the business of the global plastics industry. We report news, gather data and deliver timely information that provides our readers with a competitive advantage.

    Contact Us

    1155 Gratiot Avenue
    Detroit MI 48207-2997

    Customer Service:
    877-320-1723

    Resources
    • About
    • Staff
    • Editorial Calendar
    • Media Kit
    • Data Store
    • Digital Edition
    • Custom Content
    • People
    • Contact
    • Careers
    • Sitemap
    Related Crain Publications
    • Sustainable Plastics
    • Rubber News
    • Tire Business
    • Urethanes Technology
    Legal
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    Copyright © 1996-2023. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • News
      • Processor News
        • Injection Molding
        • Blow Molding
        • Film & Sheet
        • Pipe/Profile/Tubing
        • Rotomolding
        • Thermoforming
        • Recycling
      • Suppliers
        • Machinery
        • Materials
        • Molds/Tooling
        • Product news
        • Design
      • More News
        • K Show
        • Mergers & Acquisitions
        • Sustainability
        • Public Policy
        • Material Insights Videos
        • Numbers that Matter
      • Digital Edition
      • End Markets
        • Automotive
        • Packaging
        • Medical
        • Consumer Products
        • Construction
      • Special Reports
        • CFO of the Year
        • Notable Leaders in Sustainability
        • Processor of the Year
        • Best Places to Work
        • Women Breaking the Mold
        • Rising Stars
        • Diversity
        • Most Interesting Social Media Accounts in Plastics
      • Newsletters
      • Videos
      • Podcasts
    • Opinion
      • The Plastics Blog
      • Kickstart
      • One Good Resin
      • Pellets and Politics
      • All Things Data
      • Viewpoint
      • From Pillar to Post
      • Perspective
      • Mailbag
      • Fake Plastic Trees
    • Shop Floor
      • Blending
      • Compounding
      • Drying
      • Injection Molding
      • Purging
      • Robotics
      • Size Reduction
      • Structural Foam
      • Tooling
      • Training
    • Events
      • Plastics News Events
        • Plastics News Executive Forum
        • Injection Molding & Design Expo
        • Plastics Caps + Closures: A Global Online Event
        • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum
      • Industry Events
      • Injection Molding & Design Expo
      • Livestreams/Webinars
      • Editorial Livestreams
        • Bioplastics Live
        • Numbers that Matter Live
        • PFAS Live
        • Plastics in Politics Live
        • PN Live: Mergers and Acquisitions
        • Polymer Points Live
        • Sustainable Plastics Live
      • Ask the Expert
      • Plastics News Events Library
        • Plastics Caps & Closures Library
        • Plastics in Healthcare Library
        • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum Library
    • Rankings & Data
      • Injection Molders
      • Blow Molders
      • Film Sheet
      • Thermoformers
      • Pipe Profile Tubing
      • Rotomolders
      • Mold/Toolmakers
      • LSR Processors
      • Recyclers
      • Compounders - List
      • Association - List
      • Plastic Lumber - List
      • All
    • Directory
    • Resin Prices
      • Resin Prices Overview
      • Commodity Thermoplastics
      • High Temperature Thermoplastics
      • Engineering Thermoplastics
      • Recycled Plastics
      • Thermosets
      • Europe - Virgin
      • Europe - Recycled
      • Europe - Feedstock
    • Custom
      • Sponsored Content
      • LS Mtron Sponsored Content
      • Conair Sponsored Content
      • KraussMaffei Sponsored Content
      • ENGEL Sponsored Content
      • White Papers
      • Classifieds
        • Place an Ad
        • Sign up for Early Classified