Waste Paper Specs under Pollution Norms

The following Public Notice was issued by the Commissioner of Customs (Import), Jawaharlal Nehru Customs House, Nhava Sheva on 10 November 2010

[Ref: 113-PN/10.11.2010]

Attention of all the Importers, CHA, Trade and all others concerned, is invited to Office Memorandum dated 11.05.2010 issued by Ministry of Environment and Forest (MOEF) vide F. No. 13-1/2004 HSMD, in supersession of the earlier O.M. of dated 10.02.2006.

2. The O.M dated 10.02.2006, issued by MOEF allows maximum of 8% of recyclable material in the consignment of imported waste paper.

3. Hazardous Waste Management Rule, 2008 and subsequent amendments vide dated 21.07.2009 and 23.09.2009 prescribed for following requirements for import of waste paper:

a. Shipment Movement Documents i.e. Form-9

b. Registration of the importer with SPCB (State Pollution Control Board)

c. Pre-shipment Inspection Certificate (PSIC) by Inspection and Certification Agency approved by the DGFT. Such PSIC certifies the content of recyclable material in terms of O.M. date 10.02.2006.

4. The above provisions were given effect by Public Notice No. 37/2009 dated 19.06.2009 and Public Notice No. 75/2009 dated 07.10.2009, both issued by this Custom House .

5. The O.M. dated 11.05.2010, issued by MOEF revises the permissible limit of recyclable material for different types of waste paper as per which the revised limit of recyclable material in waste paper is as follows:

Sr. No.	Grade	Limit(in percent)
1.	Residential mixed paper	2
2.	Soft mixed paper	1
3.	Hard mixed paper	½
4.	Boxboard cuttings	½
5.	Mill wrappers	1/2
6.	News	1
7.	New, De-ink quality	None permitted
8.	Special News, De-ink quality	None permitted
9.	Over-issue news	None permitted
10.	Magazines	1
11	Corrugated containers	1
12	Double sorted corrugated	½
13	New Double-Lined Kraft Corrugated Cuttings	None Permitted
14	Fibre Cores	1
15	Used brawn Kraft	None Permitted
16	Mixed Kraft Cuttings	None Permitted
17	Carrier Stock	None Permitted
18	New Colored Kraft	None Permitted
19	Grocery Bag Scrap	None Permitted
20	Kraft Multi-Wall Bag Scrap	None Permitted
21	New Brown Kraft Envelope Cuttings	None Permitted
22	Mixed Ground Wood Shavings	None Permitted
23	Telephone Directories	None Permitted
24	White Blank News	None Permitted
26	Ground Wood Computer Printout	None Permitted
27	Flyleaf Shavings	None Permitted
28	Coated Soft White	None Permitted
29	Hard White Shavings	None Permitted
30	Hard White Envelope Cuttings	None Permitted
31	New Colored Envelop Cutting	None Permitted
32	Semi Bleached Cuttings	None Permitted
33	Unsorted Office Paper	2
34	Sorted Office Paper	1
35	Manifold Colored Ledger	½
36	Sorted White Ledger	½
37	Manifold White Ledger	½
38	Computer Printout	None Permitted
39	Coated Book Stock	None Permitted
40	Coated Ground Wood Section	None Permitted
41	Printed Bleached Board Cuttings	½
42	Misprinted Bleached Board	1
43	Unprinted Bleached Board	None Permitted
44	Bleached Cup Stock	None Permitted
45	Printed Bleached Cup Stock	None Permitted
46	Unprinted Bleached Plate Stock	None Permitted
47	Printed Bleached Plate Stock Kinds	None Permitted
48	Specialty Grades( White waxed cup cuttings,	None Permitted
	Plastic coated cups, Printed waxed cup cuttings, polycoated bleached kraft-unprinted, polycoated bleached kraft-printed, polycoated milk cartoon stock, polycoated diaper stock, polycoated box board cuttings, waxed boxboard cuttings, Printed and/or unprinted bleached sulphate containing foil, Waxed corrugated cuttings, Wet strength corrugated cuttings, Asphalt laminated corrugated cuttings, Beer carton scrap, Contaminated bag scrap, Insoluable glued free sheet paper and/or board, White wet strength scarp, Brown wet strength scarp, Printed and/or coloured wet strength scarp, File stock, New Computer print out , Ruled white, Fly leaf shaving containing hot melt glue, Carbon mix, Book with covers, Unsorted Tabulating Cards, Carbonless treated ledger, Plastic windowed envelopes, Textile boxes, Printed TMP, Unprinted TMP, Manila Tabulating Cards, Sorted colored ledgers)

Further, as per para (vii) of the O.M. dated 11.02.2010, there shall not be presence of putrefiable organic matter at all in the imported waste paper consignment.

6. Presently, Customs verifies the content of recyclable material by means of a Test Report or alternatively, pre-shipment inspection certificate issued by the inspection and Certification Agency approved by the DGFT in addition to Shipment Movement Documents i.e. Form-9 and Registration of the importer with SPCB(State Pollution Control Board).

7. Since, the MOEF has revised the content of recyclable materials in the import consignment of various types of waste papers, such pre-shipment certificates or test report should mention declaration/certification of content of recyclable materials in accordance with Office Memorandum dated 11.05.2010 issued by Ministry of Environment and Forest vide F. No. 13-1/2004-HSMD.

8. Further, as the said O.M. of dated 11.05.2010 stipulates that the content of waste paper must be verified by the Customs Authority in respect of each consignment imported into the country, therefore depending upon the track record of the importer, Customs will draw samples of 5-20 % of the containers in each consignment for testing by the MOEF recognized labs notified by the MOEF vide Notification dated 18.07.2007 as per Annexure-”A” before the clearance of the goods.

9. The Trade and the concerned associations are requested to take note of the above for necessary compliance.

F. No. : S/26-Misc-144/2010 Gr. IIB