Stricter standards for accepting scrap in China resulted in a slight decrease in the amount of rigid plastics, excluding bottles, collected for recycling in 2013, according to a survey conducted by Moore Recycling Associates (Sonoma, California / USA; www.moorerecycling.com) on behalf of the American Chemistry Council (ACC, Washington DC / USA; www.americanchemistry.com). Approximately 1.01 bn lb (456,000 t) of post-consumer non-bottle rigid plastic was recovered for recycling, representing a 1% decline on 2012.

The decrease is most likely attributable to China’s “Green Fence” policy controlling imports of post-consumer scrap, introduced in February 2013, says the new “2013 National Post-consumer Non-Bottle Rigid Plastic Recycling Report”. Implementation of the policy resulted in significantly reduced recycled plastic exports from North America and Europe, and increased volatility in scrap pricing.

Although the Green Fence policy caused a temporary drop in post-consumer non-bottle rigid plastic recycling in 2013, it led to increased domestic processing and a focus on quality, benefiting the plastics recycling industry in the longer term, the report suggests.

“Recyclers addressed the challenges and opportunities presented by the Green Fence, and we believe that the plastic recycling industry emerged stronger as a result,” said Patty Moore, president of Moore Recycling. “Recycled plastic producers have invested in advanced separation infrastructure or taken other steps to create higher quality bales with greater yields.”

About 67% of the non-bottle rigid plastics recovered in 2013 was recycled by US and Canadian processors, with the remainder exported, mainly to China. This compares with 57% recycled by US and Canadian processors in 2012.

PP was the most collected material, accounting for 39.3% of the total in 2013. HDPE accounted for 35.5%, followed by PET (8.4%), PS (1.8%) and LDPE (1.1%). There were modest increases in the amount of HDPE and PP collected but the recovery of other types of resin decreased.

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