New trade data show that U.S. exports of waste paper and plastics fell from January to June compared with the same period last year. The decline was mainly due to a decrease in material flows to China and India.
The U.S. Census Bureau, part of the U.S. Department of Commerce, released export data for June 2020 last week to understand trends in recycled materials exports in the first half of this year.
These figures illustrate the significant impact of overseas import restrictions imposed by Southeast Asian countries over the past year and the consequences of some covid-19.
They also show that China is still the main receiving market for recycled fibers, with imports far more than twice that of the second largest market. This fact is crucial because it is widely expected that China will close all imports of recycled fiber in the coming months, which means a large tonnage requirement.
U.S. exports of recycled paper and plastics fell after 2019, both of which saw significant declines in shipments.
By the first half of 2020, the United States exported 7.35 million short tons of recycled fiber, down 25% from 9.76 million short tons in the same period of 2019.
The decrease is due to a sharp decline in exports to China, which imported 2.33 million short tons of recycled fiber by June 2020. Compared with the first half of last year, it decreased by 850000 short tons, or 27%.
India is the second largest export market for recycled fiber from the United States in the first six months of this year, and has also cut back on imports. Compared with 2019, the country reduced imports of short tons by 0.8 million tons in the first half of 2020, a decrease of 44%. Indian government officials set stricter quality regulations for the import of mixed paper around the beginning of 2020.
Overall, India imported 1 million short tons of recycled fiber in the first half of 2020.
Another major change is Indonesia’s reduction of us recycled paper imports from 676000 short tons in the first half of 2019 to 260000 short tons in the same period of this year. The decline was due to changes in Indonesia’s paper import regulations. The rules were set in June.
Post time: Sep-02-2020