Minister of Trade and Industry Tarek Kabil issued a decision setting new controls for importing
plastic and rubber haberdashery and wastes.
The decision aims to regulate the importation of those products to meet the needs of local industry.
The minister revealed that the decision was prepared in coordination with the Ministry of Environment, as under it, the imported items of haberdashery and wastes of plastic and rubber will be removed from the list of hazardous wastes prohibited for import and from related lists.
Kabil pointed out that the decision also specifies requirements for importing recycled plastics and rubber, as the decision indicates that plastic is not considered hazardous waste unless it contains certain risk characteristics: toxicity, flammability, reactivity, activity, or corrosion.
The minister said that the decision allows the importing the haberdashery and wastes of plastic and rubber in all their forms, provided that they are accompanied by an examination and analysis certificate issued by an internationally accredited laboratory stating that these items do not contain any of the risk characteristics. They must also be accompanied by a material safety data sheet (MSDS) and classified according to the Globally Harmonised System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS).
