China ban on waste imports leads to piles of paper abroad, surging prices in China

Tonnes of waste paper to be shipped to mainland China are piled up at a dock in Hong Kong, China September 15, 2017. REUTERS/Bobby Yip

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Huge mountains of old newspapers, cardboard and office scrap paper are piling up on Hong Kong's docks and its waste-paper collection sites are at bursting point. A flotilla of cargo ships laden with paper meant for recycling has been stuck for weeks in local waters.

The city's system for dealing with its paper waste has been failing since China in July imposed a ban on imports of 24 types of rubbish, as part of a campaign against "foreign garbage" and environmental pollution, including unsorted scrap paper.