Slovenia exports waste to Balkans, Asia

Last year Slovenia increased waste exports by 21%. The mix was dominated by scrap metals, plastics, and refuse-derived fuel (RDF).

The largest quantities of scrap metals were sent to Turkey, plastics were sold mostly to Asian countries, while RDF ended predominantly in Bosnia and Herzegovina, according to the export-import waste analysis by Slovenia’s Inspectorate for the Environment and Spatial Planning.

The exports have reached 180,388 tons compared to 150,000 tons in 2021.

The country also recorded a 21% increase in the number of export declarations to 3,203. The shipments went to 17 countries, according to the inspectorate.

The largest number of declarations for RDF and plastics were issued for BiH

The number of declarations for plastics and RDF was 2,712. The largest number was issued for BiH (2,076), followed by Serbia (335) and Turkey (203).

Slovenian firms exported 46.484 tons of RDF and plastics to BiH while 6,745 tons ended up in Serbia. Apart from countries close to Slovenia, large quantities of plastics and RDF were also exported to Turkey (28,747 tons), and Indonesia (8,689 tons).

Slovenia renewed exports of plastics to Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Laos

In total, the amount of exported plastics increased by more than 26%, the inspectorate said.

Turkey remained Slovenia’s most common destination for the waste category while shipments to other Asian countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam and Laos were renewed after a one-year break, the inspectorate stressed.

It is worth noting that exports of all types of waste to China have completely stopped.

Imports have also increased

Import declarations were accepted for 23 countries. The number of declarations decreased, but the amount of waste rose from 100,000 to 110,000 tons.

Non-metal, paper and plastics were the types of waste with the largest part in total quantities, the inspectorate said.