Import of plastic scrap comes under ‘microscope of new rules’

As the ministry of commerce has made some key changes in its ‎import policy, one can be upbeat that the local authorities would be able to check the highly health hazardous plastic scrap that some profit-conscious importers have long been importing from different Middle Eastern and European destinations. The ministry would be controlling the import of environmentally harmful PVC scrap under the new import policy rules.‎‎ In light of a Lahore High Court verdict, the ministry of commerce finally notified the import policy of PVC scrap through SRO 149(I)/2015 in February.

As per the amended Import Policy Order 2013, the PVC importable by industrial consumers would be subject to the environmental approval of plastic scrap recycling facilities set up by the respective federal or provincial Environmental Protection Agencies (EPAs) indicating the annual recycling capacity. To strictly execute the new policy, however, the role of customs authorities and environmental inspection agencies stands very crucial. “A strict implementation is a must for this as it is a matter of health and environment for the masses,” said industry sources.‎

The move is expected to make sure that these industrially important goods are imported keeping in view environmental and human safety, they said. If went unchecked the hazardous imported plastic scrap would cause very serious diseases and infect humans, they warned.‎‎ However, the new policy makes it mandatory for custom authorities to check that the importers importing plastic scrap possess a proper manufacturing/recycling facility. Sources informed that this plastic scrap is used to produce water pressure and sewage pipes, utensils, children toys and other household plastic products which is against the law and highly hazardous for the citizens.

Also, the customs authorities should check these consignments in detail and ask the importers concerned to get the samples tested from the country’s leading environmental agencies to ensure that their goods are free of any hazardous. According to industry sources, only visual inspections of the imported consignments are not enough to establish how health hazardous the product is.  The inspection companies should also conduct detailed chemical tests to check the imported scrap.

The sources said that in past such health hazardous material used to be imported in original shapes like, big pieces of sewage pipes, used chemical containers, solid medical wastes etc thus making the imported goods  easily identifiable through visual inspection.

But now, they said, these materials are being imported in the shape of crushed material and grinded powder which are in very small pieces to be accurately identified.‎ ‎‎ The importers, the sources claimed, usually tend to escape the customs authorities as very small pieces and grinded imported PVC scrap could never be examined or tested by visual inspections until and unless these consignments get tested through detailed chemical testing processes.

The current import policy regarding plastic scrap also envisages the same procedure as the basel policy refers to standards prescribed in under the Basel Convention. According to the Basel conventions, the inspection companies should ensure that the imported materials must be from a source which is not amongst 18 sources of wastes mentioned in Annex-I of the Basel Convention. The consignments do not contain any of the 27 elements/chemicals mentioned in Annex-III of Basel Convention mentioned under the heading of “Wastes having as constituents”.