The export of waste paper in the United States is relatively stable

U.S. waste paper exports remained relatively stable in the first quarter of 2022, but waste plastic shipments fell by more than a fifth. According to statistics, in the first three months of this year, American companies exported 4.28 million short tons of waste paper (excluding recycled pulp), a year-on-year decrease of less than 1%. During the same period, U.S. exporters exported 261million pounds of waste plastics, down 21% from the first quarter of 2021.

In terms of OCC and paper, trade data show that India, Mexico and Vietnam are still the top three destinations for U.S. waste paper exports, of which shipments to Mexico have increased significantly. These figures also show that China’s role as an important U.S. waste paper exporter in the past continues to weaken. In the first quarter of this year, China fell from the 9th place in the first quarter of 2021 to the 10th place in the first quarter of 2022 in the list of major destinations for U.S. waste paper exports.

Before the beginning of China’s “sword action”, it was the largest importer of waste paper from the United States. For example, in 2016, the last year before China began to implement the waste paper import ban policy, the United States exported 14.54 million short tons of waste paper to China. This accounted for more than two-thirds of all waste paper exported by the United States that year. Last year, 541000 short tons were shipped to China, accounting for only 3% of the total waste paper exported by the United States.

According to the data of the first quarter of 2022, the top ten countries and regions of waste paper exports from the United States are: India is 1.2 million short tons (increased by 3%), Mexico is 621000 short tons (increased by 21%), Vietnam is 494000 short tons (increased by 1%), Thailand is 375000 short tons (decreased by 8%), Taiwan, China is 278000 short tons (increased by 17%), Malaysia is 270000 short tons (increased by 14%), Canada is 209000 short tons (decreased by 14%), South Korea was 203000 short tons (down 7%), Indonesia 146000 short tons (down 4%), and China 93000 short tons (down 41%). The total revenue of the rest of the world was 388000 short tons, a year-on-year decrease of 20%.

The above figures do not include recycled pulp. After China issued the waste paper import ban policy, some companies began to produce pulp waste in the United States and transport the pulp to Chinese factories for further processing into finished products. However, this process requires that the pulp be dried before shipment, otherwise the material will decay during the long journey across the Pacific Ocean, and then be re wetted in the East Asian plant.

In the first quarter of 2022, American enterprises exported nearly 122000 short tons of recycled pulp, an increase of 36% over the same period in 2021. In the first quarter of 2017, before being affected by China’s “sword action”, the total export volume of recycled pulp in the United States was only 18000 short tons.

The total amount of waste plastics in the United States continues to decline

From the first quarter of 2021 to the first quarter of 2022, waste plastic shipments fell by 21%, which has become a consistent downward trend for many years. In the first quarter of 2021, 333million pounds were exported, which was actually higher than 311million pounds in the same period of 2020. However, compared with 374million pounds, 711million pounds and 1.12 billion pounds in 2019, 2018 and the first quarter of 2017, this figure decreased significantly.

There are also some obvious changes in the top 10 export countries and regions with the latest data of plastic recyclables: 78million pounds in Canada (a year-on-year decrease of 23%), 54million pounds in Mexico (an increase of 33%), 33million pounds in Malaysia (a decrease of 49%), 23million pounds in India (an increase of 33%), 15million pounds in Indonesia (an increase of 1%), 9million pounds in Germany (an increase of 374%), 7million pounds in Vietnam (a decrease of 70%) El Salvador was £ 7million (up 30%), Turkey was £ 7million (flat year-on-year), and Ecuador was £ 3million (down 16%). The rest of the world imported 24million pounds, down 53%.

Germany and Ecuador were listed in the top 10 in the first quarter of 2022, while Taiwan, China and Hong Kong fell out of the list. China was once the largest importer of waste plastics from the United States. As of the first quarter of this year, China ranked 21st on the list, second only to Latvia.