United States exports of recycle polyethylene, polypropylene, PET and PVC all plummeted in July 2017.

Shipments have been trending lower in recent months. Year to date through July the US exported a total of 1.1 million tons of recycle polymers, down 3% from the same period last year.

Although some seasonality may be involved in the July drop, more likely is the impact of reduced buying in China, which is the US’s top destination. China’s import statistics for July show similar steep declines on imports from numerous sources. Further declines are expected.

From International Trader Publications’: United States Polymer Trade Report, and, China Polymer Trade Report – analyzing each country’s imports and exports of virgin commodity polymers, recycle polymers and fabricated plastic products.