Waste and Scrap

Yes — the Basel Convention governs transboundary movements of hazardous waste, and the US has bilateral agreements that affect scrap exports to certain trading partners. Additionally, several countries have imposed import restrictions on specific scrap streams (notably mixed plastics and certain paper grades), which has reshaped global recycling supply chains. Exporters of US scrap should verify the import regulations of the destination country before contracting shipments.

The distinction often turns on whether the material has been processed to a specification suitable for direct industrial use (secondary raw material) or is still in an unprocessed, mixed, or contaminated state (waste or scrap). Under the HTS, specific headings in Chapters 26, 39, 40, 47, 72, and 74, among others, cover scrap by material type, and CBP may request documentation of processing history or material specification to confirm the correct classification.