US now net importer of waste thanks to chemical recycling

A burst of announcements to build new chemical recycling plants in the US is pushing up domestic demand for mixed plastic waste – and even leading US to become a net importer of plastic waste for the first time.

In the second quarter of 2022, the US imported 132,000 metric tons of mixed plastic waste, resulting in a net trade balance of around -6,500 tons, according to International Trade Centre data.

BloombergNEF has tracked over 3.5 million tons of global chemical recycling capacity, including announced and commissioned projects. TotalEnergies and New Hope Energy have announced plans to build a chemical recycling plant in Texas that will convert over 310,000 tons of mixed plastic waste per year.

Read more at https://www.bloomberg.com/professional/blog/us-now-net-importer-of-waste-thanks-to-chemical-recycling/

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