Dive Brief:
- Since China began implementing standards on the kinds of material it will allow into its country for recycling, the industry has been forced to change at a rapid pace.
- China began rejecting materials it was accustomed to accepting previously, leading to increased costs and depressed prices in the U.S.
- Customs data illustrates that Chinese imports of plastics fell 11.3% in the first half of 2013.
Dive Insight:
Approximately half of the plastic bottles used in the United States are sent to China for recycling, with virtually all the plastic from electronics waste exported to Asia. Now that the advantage of China's low cost processing has diminished, this may result in the creation of more recycling processing facilities in the U.S.
