The first meeting of a sub-group of the Recycling Association that will represent recycling exporters has been held.
Taking place at the Recycling Association’s head office in Daventry, 15 member companies were represented along with guests who included a representative from China Certification & Inspection Group (CCIC).
At the first meeting, topics such as processing merchants, multi-national waste management companies, Chinese mill groups and brokers were discussed.
The export sub-group of the Recycling Association will also work with the full membership of the trade body to achieve best practice when exporting, with the Chinese green fence at the top of the agenda.
Recycling Association chief executive Simon Ellin said: “As a trade association, we absolutely believe in a balanced recycling market involving supplies to both the UK and the export market – indeed we fully support, supply and promote the UK market.
“However, we also realise the crucial importance of the export infrastructure for all recyclable materials.
“The purpose of forming the export sub-group is two-fold. Firstly, we have become increasingly concerned about some negative and anti-export sentiment that has been reported in some quarters of the press.
“Using the powerful weight of our member base, we plan to extol the benefits and the crucial importance of the export market because without it, we simply wouldn’t have the huge success story that is the UK recycling industry…
“ …The export market for recyclables is well established and operates under incredibly strict rules and regulations relating to the transfrontier shipment regulations.
“In fact there are far fewer legal requirements for transporting recyclables within the UK that there are for exporting them.
“Stories we read in the press, such as ‘exporting waste is exporting jobs’ and that exporters are shipping recyclable material half way around the world to then landfill, are myths.
“The export sub-group plans to educate politicians, decision makers and the general public on what actually happens when their recyclables are exported.”
