We broker post-industrial and post-consumer waste plastics: LDPE film, HDPE, PP, mixed rigids, regrind and recycled pellets, between waste management companies, recyclers, compounders and pyrolysis plants across Europe. Since May 2026 every non-EU movement has been reshaped by the EU Waste Shipment Regulation (EU) 2024/1157, and from 21 November 2026 exports of non-hazardous plastic waste from the EU to non-OECD countries are banned outright. Where your material goes next year is a different question from where it went last year.
The 2026 shipment rules, in plain terms
This is the biggest change to EU plastic waste movement in a generation, and the dates matter more than the detail:
- From 21 May 2026: exports of non-hazardous plastic waste to OECD countries require the full prior written notification and consent procedure. The old green-list Annex VII route no longer covers them.
- From 21 November 2026: exports of non-hazardous plastic waste from the EU to non-OECD countries are prohibited.
- From 21 May 2029: non-OECD countries may apply to the European Commission to be re-listed, if they can demonstrate environmentally sound management. Nothing moves to them before that.
- Intra-EU movements continue, but under the tightened regime of Regulation (EU) 2024/1157, with digital submission of documentation phasing in.
What this actually does to the market
Two things, and they pull in opposite directions. First, volume that used to clear to non-OECD destinations has to find a European or OECD home, which puts sustained pressure on the lower grades, mixed rigids, heavily printed film, anything above roughly 5 % contamination. Second, notification adds weeks of lead time and a financial guarantee to shipments that used to move on an Annex VII document, which rewards anyone holding a standing notification and punishes spot exporters.
The practical consequence for a producer of arisings is that the value of consistency and documentation has gone up relative to the value of tonnage. A clean, repeatable 98/2 film bale with a moisture figure and photographs places quickly. An unsorted mixed load, at any price, is now genuinely hard to move.
Grades we work with
For material heading into chemical recycling, the relevant question is not the bale grade but the chlorine and silicon it will carry into the oil. See pyrolysis oil for what the downstream buyer screens on.
- LDPE film: 98/2 and 95/5 natural, clear, coloured and printed; post-industrial and post-consumer; baled or in regrind.
- LLDPE and stretch film: post-industrial, typically clean and single-source, the easiest grade to place.
- HDPE: blow-moulded rigids, natural and mixed colour, crates and drums; baled, regrind or washed flake.
- PP: bumpers, crates, big bags, raffia and injection-moulding arisings; baled, regrind or pellets.
- Mixed rigids and residual polyolefin fractions: usually routed to pyrolysis or energy recovery rather than mechanical recycling.
- Recycled pellets and compounds: where a producer wants to place surplus or off-grade production.
What a buyer needs before quoting
Plastic waste trades badly on description alone. Everything below is normal, not demanding, and having it ready shortens a negotiation from three weeks to three days.
| Polymer and grade | LDPE 98/2, HDPE natural rigid, PP regrind, and so on. |
|---|---|
| Origin | Post-industrial or post-consumer; single source or collected mix. |
| Form | Baled, loose, regrind, washed flake or pellet. |
| Bale weight and dimensions | Decides loading and freight cost per tonne. |
| Moisture | Percentage, and whether the material has been stored outside. |
| Contamination | Percentage and type, paper, label, other polymers, dirt. |
| Colour breakdown | Natural, clear, light, mixed or printed. |
| Photographs | Of the actual bales, not a stock image. Non-negotiable in practice. |
| Volume and frequency | Tonnes per month and whether it is a one-off or an ongoing arising. |
| EWC / Basel code | For example B3011 for the relevant plastic entries; drives the shipment route. |
| Loading point and Incoterms | EXW, FCA, DAP; whether the site can load a 40 ft HC. |
| Sample availability | A 5 to 10 kg representative sample for anything ongoing. |
How we work it
We act for waste management companies and manufacturers placing regular arisings, and for recyclers, compounders and pyrolysis operators who need steady, predictable input rather than opportunistic lots.
Because we are paid a commission on business that performs, we will tell a seller when a grade is not worth offering in its current form, and quite often the fix is upstream. Separating a printed film fraction at source, or getting a moisture figure onto the offer, moves more value than another round of price haggling.
Frequently asked questions
When does the EU plastic waste export ban start?
Exports of non-hazardous plastic waste from the EU to non-OECD countries are prohibited from 21 November 2026 under Regulation (EU) 2024/1157. Since 21 May 2026, exports to OECD countries have required the full prior written notification and consent procedure rather than the green-list route. Non-OECD countries may apply for re-listing from 21 May 2029.
Can I still export plastic waste from the EU to Turkey?
Turkey is an OECD member, so it is not caught by the non-OECD prohibition. However, since 21 May 2026 such shipments fall under the prior written notification and consent procedure, which means competent-authority consent at both ends, a financial guarantee and a materially longer lead time than an Annex VII movement. Turkey also applies its own national import restrictions on plastic waste, so confirm the current position at the receiving end before committing.
What is the difference between 98/2 and 95/5 LDPE film?
It is the cleanliness ratio: 98/2 means around 98 % target polymer to 2 % contamination, 95/5 around 95 % to 5 %. The gap sounds small and is not, 98/2 clears readily to mechanical recyclers, while 95/5 and below competes for a narrower set of buyers and, since the 2026 export changes, a much narrower set of destinations. Moisture is assessed separately and can matter as much as the contamination figure.
Do you handle mixed or contaminated plastic waste?
Yes, but honestly. Mixed rigids and heavily contaminated fractions generally route to pyrolysis feed or energy recovery rather than mechanical recycling, and price accordingly. What we will not do is take an unsorted load to market as something it is not, that wastes the seller's time and costs us the buyer.
What is Basel code B3011?
B3011 covers the plastic waste entries on the Basel Convention green list, introduced by the 2019 plastic waste amendments that replaced the former single B3010 entry. It is used for sorted, single-polymer and readily recyclable plastic waste meeting the entry conditions. The code determines which shipment procedure applies, so getting it right on the paperwork is not cosmetic.
Do you buy the material yourselves?
No. We are a broker: we introduce the seller to the buyer, agree the terms between them and take a commission on concluded business. We never take title to the cargo, so we have no position to protect and no reason to press a load onto a buyer who cannot run it.
What volumes do you work with?
From a single 40 ft container of a clean, well-described grade up to ongoing programmes of several hundred tonnes a month. Recurring arisings are where a broker earns their keep, because the value is in a stable home rather than a one-off clearance.
Who to ask about Waste plastics
Ask us. Regular arisings to place, or looking for steady bale supply? Send the spec, photos and a moisture figure. We answer the same working day, in English or Dutch, and there is no charge and no obligation for a market read or a second opinion on a specification.
You get Bart van den Brug directly, not a call centre and not a form that goes nowhere. We are an independent broker: we never take title, we do not trade our own book, and we are paid a commission only on business that actually concludes. That is why we will also tell you when the answer is no.
+31 6 115 83 448
[email protected]
Sustainable Commodities 3 B.V., Lemmer, the Netherlands
Last reviewed 09 August 2026 by Bart van den Brug, Sustainable Commodities 3 B.V. (KvK 99665042), Lemmer, the Netherlands. Regulatory references are given for orientation and are not legal advice; verify against the current Official Journal text before contracting.