The European Commission has announced that the Waste Shipments Regulation (WSR) has introduced stricter rules on waste exports to non-OECD countries, including a full ban on exports by May 21, 2027.
Before the deadline set for the submission of a formal request from non-OECD countries on February 21, 2025, 24 requests were received for inclusion on the list of countries eligible to import non-hazardous waste from the EU after May 21, 2027, from Bangladesh, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Egypt, El Salvador, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Moldova, Monaco, Morocco, Nigeria, North Macedonia, Pakistan, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Togo, Tunisia, Ukraine and Vietnam. The Commission will assess these applications and draw up a list of non-OECD countries authorized to import specific waste streams from the EU. The first list of countries will be established by November 21, 2026. Exports of waste to non-OECD countries that are not included in the list will be prohibited from May 21, 2027. This list will be updated regularly and at least every two years. Countries that have not submitted a request by deadline can still send one to the Commission.
Urging nearly 150 non-OECD countries that had failed to submit their notification on time to act quickly to ensure that international trade of recycled materials keeps running smoothly, EuRIC, the European Recycling Industries’ Confederation, stated that an automatic export ban remains a serious risk for these countries.