KARACHI: Government of Pakistan has allowed import of waste, scrap etc subject to fulfillment of environment and pre-shipment certification by industrial consumers.
According to Import Policy 2016, waste, parings and scrap of Plastics, excluding hospital waste of all kind, used sewerage pipes and used chemical containers, granules made by the recycling of plastics waste
These goods are importable by industrial consumers subject to the fulfillment of following conditions:-
i. Environmental approval of Plastic Scrap Recycling facility by the respective Federal or Provincial Environmental Protection Agencies (EPAs) indicating the annual recycling capacity. Respective EPAs shall give final decision within 30 days of submission of the application.
ii. Annual Environmental Audit Report duly approved by the respective EPAs. This condition shall however not apply in case of units importing plastic scrap for the first time.
iii. Pre-Shipment Inspection in exporting country by any of the companies mentioned in this order. The companies shall certify that the consignment being exported to Pakistan does not contain any hazardous substance as defined in the Basel Convention. Customs authorities, in case of doubt, may randomly get any consignment tested through PCSIR or any other government certified laboratory.
iv. The imported consignment of the registered recycling plant shall be cleared from one custom station only.”
Importable subject to certification from the exporting country that the granules being exported are free from hazardous substance as defined in Basel Convention.
Customs Authorities shall ensure strict compliance of the conditions, the IPO 2016 suggests.
Moreover,
Waste and scrap of exhausted batteries of automobiles are allowed to be imported by industrial consumers only for their own use, subject to the condition that importer shall furnish to Customs Authorities a certificate from the concerned Federal or Provincial Environment Protection Agency that they have adequate manufacturing facility capable of handling hazardous wastes in accordance with the provision of Basel Convention; and permission or authorization specifying quantitative entitlement for the import of waste and scrap of electric accumulators issued by the concerned Federal/Provincial Environment Protection Agency/Department, provincial authorities.
The IPO 2016 also allows import of Mercury and Mercury Compound allowed in favor of industrial consumers having valid environmental approval from the concerned Federal/Provincial Environmental Protection Agency/Department.