The European Commission is preparing tighter controls on exports of waste, including aluminium scrap, to non-OECD countries, going beyond rules due to take effect in 2027 that would allow approved destinations to continue receiving specified non-hazardous waste streams.
Stéphane Séjourné, the Commission’s Executive Vice-President for Prosperity and Industrial Strategy, has withdrawn an earlier proposal for targeted aluminium trade measures after internal discussions concluded that it would cover only around half of the relevant scrap exports.
His office is instead working on a delegated act under the EU Waste Shipment Regulation that would prohibit waste exports to non-OECD countries, with possible exceptions for some EU candidate countries. A public consultation is expected before the measure is considered for adoption by the end of 2026.1
The precise waste streams, exemptions and implementation date have not yet been published. However, the stated scope suggests a potentially substantial tightening of the export controls already being introduced under the revised Waste Shipment Regulation.
Existing controls
EU exports of waste for disposal and hazardous waste for recovery are already generally prohibited outside the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
From 21 May 2027, non-hazardous “green-listed” waste will also generally be prohibited from export to non-OECD countries. Under the existing regulation, however, individual countries can seek authorisation to receive particular waste streams by demonstrating that they can manage them in an environmentally sound manner.2
The Commission is due to publish its first list of authorised destinations by 21 November 2026. Twenty-four non-OECD countries had submitted applications by the initial February 2025 deadline, although later applications can still be considered.3
The proposed delegated act could narrow or remove some of that route, potentially allowing exports only to specified EU candidate countries. The relationship between the new proposal and the authorisation process has yet to be explained by the Commission.
China and India, both significant destinations for internationally traded scrap, are not OECD members and could be among the markets affected. OECD membership does include several other major waste destinations, however, including Türkiye.
Aluminium supply
Aluminium appears to be a central reason for the proposed intervention. The Commission has been examining measures to prevent what it describes as the “leakage” of aluminium scrap from Europe, arguing that reliable access to recycled material is important to industrial competitiveness, strategic autonomy and decarbonisation.4
Producing secondary aluminium from scrap requires substantially less energy than manufacturing primary aluminium from mined bauxite. Keeping more scrap within the EU could therefore support lower-carbon metal production and provide material for sectors including construction, transport, renewable energy and electrical equipment.
EU aluminium scrap exports reached a record 1.26 million tonnes in 2024, an increase of approximately 50% over five years, with much of the material sent to Asian markets.5
European producers argue that competition from overseas buyers has reduced the material available to domestic smelters and recycling plants. The Commission had previously considered a trade instrument focused specifically on aluminium scrap, reportedly including measures such as export duties, before opting to explore the broader waste-shipment approach.
Recycling concerns
Scrap processors and exporters have challenged the premise that export restrictions will necessarily strengthen circularity. The Bureau of International Recycling has argued that Europe produces more aluminium scrap than its domestic industry can currently consume and that restricting access to international buyers could depress prices paid for collected material.
It warned that weaker scrap values could undermine collection and sorting, particularly for mixed or lower-quality grades that European plants may be unable or unwilling to process.6
The environmental outcome would therefore depend partly on whether European recovery and remelting capacity expands sufficiently to absorb material previously exported. A prohibition without adequate domestic demand could create stockpiles or reduce the commercial incentive to recover some waste streams.
The consultation will also need to clarify whether the proposed measure would treat different types and qualities of waste separately and how it would account for overseas facilities capable of meeting high environmental standards.
For the UK, the prohibition would not apply directly following its departure from the EU. Nevertheless, changes to European scrap availability and export routes could influence UK material prices, competition for overseas processing capacity and the movement of waste through neighbouring markets.
The proposal also reflects a wider shift in European policy, with waste increasingly regarded as a strategic source of industrial raw materials. What remains to be seen is whether retaining it within Europe strengthens recycling rather than merely restricting trade.
Notes
[1] Reuters, “EU to propose ban on waste exports, including aluminium scrap, to non-OECD countries”, 4 September 2026.
[2] European Commission, “Waste shipments”.
[3] European Commission, “First non-OECD countries request eligibility to import non-hazardous EU waste”, 24 February 2025.
[4] European Commission, “Targeted consultation: EU measure for aluminium scrap”.
[5] Reuters, “EU plans to curb exports of aluminium scrap”, 18 November 2025.
[6] Reuters, “Recycling body opposes EU scrap aluminium export curbs”, 2 February 2026.
