The National Waste and Recycling Association sent a letter to Vice President Pence urging the federal government to take action against China’s restrictions on recyclables. The letter explained the consequences of China’s restrictions on the waste and recycling industry and asked that the issue be raised with the Chinese government as part of talks with US trade officials.
“China has banned some recyclables and imposed an extremely stringent standard for others. Those recyclables are required to be 99.5 percent free of contaminants as of March 1. This in turn, has created a lack of other markets for some of these materials, which has depressed their costs and resulted in them being stockpiled or sent to the landfill. Without action from the federal government, this could shake public confidence in recycling and create long term consequences,” said NWRA President and CEO Darrell Smith.
The letter is signed by Terry Guerin, Chair of the Services Board of Governors and Darrell Smith.
For more information about NWRA, please visit www.wasterecycling.org.