Scrap plastic exports from the U.S. 2015-2021
The United States exported 1.21 billion pounds of scrap plastic in 2021, a decrease of roughly 167 million pounds compared with the previous year. The volume of scrap plastic exported by the U.S. has fallen considerably since 2015, when shipments totaled 4.5 billion pounds. In previous years China was the main destination for U.S. plastic waste, but in 2017 it introduced restrictions, leading to a decrease in U.S. exports. Then, in 2018, China imposed a ban on recovered plastic imports, which saw U.S. exports plummet further to 2.4 billion pounds. Canada is now the top destination for U.S. plastic waste exports.
