Sourcing PET bottle scrap from China

PET bottle scrap duty and waste controls

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 14 November 2026, heading 3915 covers waste, parings and scrap of plastics. PET scrap falls under 3915 90 20 00. The table distinguishes bottle and flake forms using the same tariff line; these are not separate commodity codes.

The supplied tariff snapshot shows 0% duty for goods from China, no anti-dumping or countervailing measure, no suspension and no attached import control on the PET line. Waste shipment rules still apply. Clean sorted scrap for recycling is treated more lightly than mixed or contaminated material, which needs prior notification and consent. For notified imports into England, the exporter must apply to the competent authority in China for consent.

Confirm the commodity code from the polymer, physical form and waste status with your customs broker. Recycled pellets that are no longer waste are classified as primary plastics rather than scrap. Read the wider plastic scrap guide for other polymers. Agree the waste procedure with the receiving recycler and regulator before loading.

Specify the bottle stream and flake condition

Specify PET bottle origin, baled bottles or flakes, clear or coloured material, washing condition and intended recycling use. Agree limits for other polymers, caps, labels, adhesive, metal, dirt and moisture. Record flake size, fines, packing, net weight and a sampling method that reaches inside bales or bags.

Send the receiving recycler representative samples before agreeing the specification. Ask the supplier to show sorting, washing and storage practices through factory verification. A clean surface sample does not establish the condition of the whole load.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order: 20 tonnes of clean PET bottle flake scrap under 3915 90 20 00, invoiced at £9,000 free on board, with £2,000 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £11,000. Duty at 0% is £0. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £11,000, so it is £2,200. With no duty, the only import tax is the VAT, which a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim. The import duty and VAT guide explains each step.

Inspection checklist

Polymer: open sampled bales or bags and check for non-PET bottles, cap fragments and label material.

Condition: check colour, flake size, fines, moisture, odour and sticky or oily residues against the agreed specification.

Packing: check bale integrity, bag closures, batch identity and net weight, including material from inside the packing.

Documents: match the load description, waste classification and receiving facility details to the shipment paperwork. Use the quality inspection guide to brief the inspector.

What goes wrong

Bale interiors can contain material absent from the approval sample. Cap fragments, labels and other polymers undermine sorting; wet flakes distort usable yield; adhesive and residues cause processing problems. Agree how sampling, rejection and re-grading will be handled before shipment.

A zero duty rate does not settle the waste procedure. A contaminated load may need notification and consent even when sold as washed bottle flakes. Resolve the classification with the receiving recycler and regulator before loading, rather than relying on the supplier's description.

Cambridge China Bridge sources these products for UK businesses, checking the factory and the documents before shipment. See factory verification. For repeat volumes, see container programmes.