The chief executive of the UK’s ‘The Recycling Association’, Simon Ellin, warned that there could be potential chaos following China’s ban on imports of waste, including plastic waste, starting in the new year.

“Clearly, as we in the UK, US and elsewhere don’t have enough time to adjust, this is also the case for Chinese agencies at the other end,” Ellin said in a statement posted on the TRA website. .

This, the UK official suggested, could cause “chaos” until everyone can adjust.

The UK association president said he ideally wanted a “much longer” period of time for the country to prepare.

“Until we get to the bottom of some of the areas of uncertainty, The Recycling Association … reminds its members and the recycling industry in general of the need to keep material exceptionally clean, take more photos than previously required, and be Prepared so that even this material can be rejected.

Ellin also said his organization was lobbying the World Trade Organization consultation for a relaxation of the rules or, alternatively, a delay in implementation.

The WTO consultation ended on December 15, 2017.

Ellin also took aim at TRA’s consulting trade bodies around the world, including the US-based ISRI and the Europe Recycling Industries Conference, as China’s import ban and restrictions were announced to early last year.

According to Ellin, ISRI has now revealed that a meeting it recently had with Chinese officials has sparked many areas of increased concern about the import ban and new restrictions on permitted imports.

Some of the concerns include a lack of time and resources within Chinese agencies, including the Chinese Ministry of Environmental Protection (CMEP) and AQSIQ (Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine), to implement the actions.

Also, a source of concern is the Chinese philosophy that “if you need something corrected, you go overboard and then correct it”, which Ellin says is “very much at stake” here.

Whether or not the AQSIQ is ready is another concern according to Ellin.

“The probability that inspectors understand what they are inspecting and what they are looking for is too low to meet the proposed contamination levels of 0.5% for permitted materials,” he said.

Confusion over definitions, as well as concerns about new waves of “copycat” rules by other countries have also added to Western concerns about the Chinese decision.