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.
“We are delighted that the Commission has responded constructively to our call for this critical information to be made public,” said 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.
