China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment on December 1, 2018, issued its first release of import permits allowing more than 5.5 million short tons of recovered fiber for import in 2019. According to a Resource Recycling report, that move suggests China’s government could be getting ready for higher old corrugated containers (OCC) imports.

In addition, China released a second list of permits on December 29, 2018, approving the import of an additional 476,000 short tons of recovered fiber. For material that is still allowed into China—like OCC—the government has designated 18 ports that could be used to ship that material, the report noted.

Earlier this month, China announced it will begin restricting imports of scrap steel and aluminum beginning July 1. Copper and aluminum raw materials meeting relevant national standards would not be considered solid waste and can be imported as regular goods.

Resource Recycling has more details:

In its first release of import permits for 2019, China’s environmental ministry approved a larger volume of recovered fiber than in any single release last year.

The move suggests China’s government could be gearing up for higher OCC imports in 2019.

The Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE) on Dec. 14 issued permits allowing more than 5.5 million short tons of recovered fiber for import in 2019. That’s more than twice the 2.5 million short tons approved in the first batch of permits in 2018. It’s also higher than any single permit release last year, and it is more than a quarter of the total weight approved for import in 2018.

Related:The Current State of Recovered Paper Markets

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