China is considering measures that mirror a ban on plastic waste from the EU recently announced by Malaysia. According to the Packaging & Films Association (PAFA), these moves could mark the end of the large-scale importation of plastic waste from Britain, and further jeopardise the UK's chance of meeting new government recycling targets. PAFA's CEO, Barry Turner said: "These targets, already heavily criticised as unrealistic due to the lack of adequate collection and recycling infrastructure, will fail even sooner than expected if these new developments in the Far East come about." PAFA refers to an announcement from China's Ministry of Environmental Protection, Ministry of Commerce, and National Development and Reform Commission. This states that it will consider strictly enforcing regulations that prohibit the import of unwashed, post-consumer plastics as well as banning the transfer of imported waste into a company other than that allowed by the import license. It will also not allow companies to sell unwashed leftover plastic from sorting imported plastic and paper. Barry Turner adds: "This will require a significant investment in Europe to fill the size of the hole created, which will need time to develop. However, such moves would have a huge impact on the waste industry in the UK, especially when it comes to meeting plastic recycling targets set by Defra. With much of the 67% of Britain's plastic waste being exported to the Far East, particularly China, and the UK already desperately short of plastic collection and recycling facilities, I believe that reaching the target of 57% by 2017 will be even more unrealistic and out of touch."
