China Says No to Even More Foreign Waste

Consumer plastics is among the 24 new solid waste imports China will ban by the end of the year amid increased public concern over environmental contamination and decreased need for scrap materials by industry.

The decision could potentially benefit U.S. companies if the ban shifts the focus to increased domestic utilization of scrap material, two officials from U.S. business groups told Bloomberg BNA. But one other group said it could harm them if China’s technology and manufacturing capacity is not filled in the U.S.

“A number of unscrupulous businessmen from at home and abroad have been illegally importing waste, smuggling ...