The Bureau of International Recycling (BIR) welcomes the newest publication by the European Commission of detailed information on which waste streams each non-OECD country has included in their applications to receive waste from the EU beyond May 2027.
This important development comes in response to BIR’s request for greater transparency following the 21 February 2025 deadline for countries to submit their applications under the new EU Waste Shipments Regulation.
The newly released data provides essential clarity for recyclers across all material streams, enabling them to determine whether their specific materials and commodities have been included in their country’s application. Although this data does not mean that each of these applications has been accepted, it indicates the potential materials that may flow from the EU to the approved countries if their applications are accepted. This transparency significantly reduces uncertainty for BIR members and allows for more effective business planning and supply chain management.
A positive step towards minimising disruption to global recycling supply chains
„We are delighted that the Commission has responded constructively to our call for this critical information to be made public,“ commented Arnaud Brunet, Director General of BIR. „This demonstrates the value of open dialogue between industry and policymakers, and represents a positive step towards minimising disruption to global recycling supply chains as the new regulations are implemented.“ However, BIR must reiterate that these countries and materials are not yet approved by the Commission, which will only publish the final approved country list by 21 November 2026. Particularly, we remind members that countries will only be allowed to import materials listed in Annex III of the WSR, meaning that waste codes starting with the letter A in the list will most likely not be approved by the Commission.
The publication is particularly valuable for recycling companies operating in the 24 countries that submitted applications by the deadline: 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.
BIR remains committed to supporting its members through the transition process and looks forward to continuing its constructive collaboration with the European Commission as implementation of the Waste Shipments Regulation progresses. Our aim is to ensure that legitimate recycling trade flows are maintained whilst meeting environmental objectives.
For further information on the EU Waste Shipment Regulation, please consult our BIR Business Digest.
Source: BIR
