Import/export HS code 3915: Plastic waste and scraps
Leftover or discarded plastic materials, including trimmings and scraps, ready for recycling
Why this is important if you are looking for potential customers in the UK:
- It helps you understand the market size for your product in the UK.
- It provides you with a list of potential leads who have bought similar products.
* UK only, last 24 months analysed
Imports by country
What this shows: Import market volume by exporter country into the UK.
Top 5 values
| Country | £ |
|---|---|
| Ireland | 40,899,889 |
| Germany | 9,880,647 |
| Netherlands | 9,833,025 |
| Nigeria | 8,770,518 |
| China | 8,212,985 |
Countries rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: Countries are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month volume, right side by second 12-month volume, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| Country | First 12m £ | Second 12m £ | Delta £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ireland | 21,224,871 | 19,675,018 | -1,549,853 |
| Germany | 4,763,378 | 5,117,269 | +353,891 |
| Netherlands | 4,247,558 | 5,585,467 | +1,337,909 |
| Nigeria | 4,143,353 | 4,627,165 | +483,812 |
| China | 2,182,962 | 6,030,023 | +3,847,061 |
| Belgium | 3,430,569 | 3,413,201 | -17,368 |
| United Arab Emirates | 868,353 | 3,015,022 | +2,146,669 |
| Israel | 3,272,769 | 65,258 | -3,207,511 |
| France | 1,140,813 | 1,316,841 | +176,028 |
| Brazil | 647,899 | 224,103 | -423,796 |
Imports by country of origin
What this shows: Import volume by production origin country. Differences from exporter-country data can indicate re-export routes.
Top 5 values
| Origin | £ |
|---|---|
| Ireland | 40,336,080 |
| Nigeria | 11,057,915 |
| Germany | 10,598,261 |
| Netherlands | 8,386,287 |
| China | 8,357,834 |
Country of origin rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: Origin countries are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month import value, right side by second 12-month import value, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| Origin | First 12m £ | Second 12m £ | Delta £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ireland | 20,991,009 | 19,345,071 | -1,645,938 |
| Nigeria | 4,397,100 | 6,660,815 | +2,263,715 |
| Germany | 5,202,583 | 5,395,678 | +193,095 |
| Netherlands | 3,892,468 | 4,493,819 | +601,351 |
| China | 2,305,066 | 6,052,768 | +3,747,702 |
| Belgium | 2,907,458 | 3,658,188 | +750,730 |
| Israel | 3,236,513 | 65,258 | -3,171,255 |
| France | 1,417,130 | 1,645,433 | +228,303 |
| United Arab Emirates | 633,598 | 907,795 | +274,197 |
| United States | 556,871 | 453,726 | -103,145 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Greater Manchester | 12 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 11 |
| Inner London - West | 10 |
| West Yorkshire | 9 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 8 |
UK regions rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: UK regions are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month importer count, right side by second 12-month importer count, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| UK region | First 12m | Second 12m | Delta |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greater Manchester | 9 | 7 | -2 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 8 | 8 | +0 |
| Inner London - West | 6 | 4 | -2 |
| West Yorkshire | 8 | 5 | -3 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 4 | 7 | +3 |
| Cheshire | 4 | 6 | +2 |
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 4 | 7 | +3 |
| Lancashire | 4 | 6 | +2 |
| Lincolnshire | 3 | 6 | +3 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 3 | 4 | +1 |
Import volume by transport
What this shows: Import value by transport mode used to bring goods into the UK.
Top 5 values
| Transport | £ |
|---|---|
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 52,662,391 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 48,377,206 |
| Air transport | 1,430,822 |
| Other | 493,801 |
| Road transport | 13,277 |
Transport rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: Transport modes are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month import value, right side by second 12-month import value, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| Transport | First 12m £ | Second 12m £ | Delta £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 25,279,893 | 27,382,498 | +2,102,605 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 23,876,324 | 24,500,882 | +624,558 |
| Air transport | 903,329 | 527,493 | -375,836 |
| Other | 199,497 | 294,304 | +94,807 |
| Road transport | 10,029 | 3,248 | -6,781 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Heysham | 27,991,778 |
| London Gateway Port | 18,537,805 |
| Immingham Docks | 15,619,161 |
| Felixstowe | 9,694,055 |
| Liverpool Docks | 7,763,066 |
Port rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: Ports are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month import value, right side by second 12-month import value, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| Port | First 12m £ | Second 12m £ | Delta £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heysham | 15,320,920 | 12,670,858 | -2,650,062 |
| London Gateway Port | 9,227,999 | 9,309,806 | +81,807 |
| Immingham Docks | 6,880,425 | 8,738,736 | +1,858,311 |
| Felixstowe | 3,934,797 | 5,759,258 | +1,824,461 |
| Liverpool Docks | 3,932,269 | 3,830,797 | -101,472 |
| Dover | 2,588,519 | 3,539,022 | +950,503 |
| Hull | 2,687,948 | 1,712,634 | -975,314 |
| Fishguard | 628,935 | 1,987,279 | +1,358,344 |
| Southampton | 576,218 | 1,220,251 | +644,033 |
| Eurotunnel | 753,463 | 986,259 | +232,796 |
Importer companies by SIC division
What this shows: Industry breakdown (SIC divisions) of importing companies.
Top 5 values
| SIC | Companies |
|---|---|
| Manufacture of rubber and plastic products | 39 |
| Wholesale trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 31 |
| Waste collection, treatment and disposal activities; materials recovery | 26 |
| Manufacture of chemicals and chemical products | 11 |
| Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 10 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-04 | 36 |
| 2026-03 | 33 |
| 2026-02 | 37 |
| 2026-01 | 29 |
| 2025-12 | 32 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| HODGE CLEMCO LIMITED | 109 |
| BRITISH POLYTHENE INDUSTRIES LIMITED | 72 |
| POLYRAM U.K. LIMITED | 59 |
| CARPENTER LIMITED | 52 |
| FORBO FLOORING UK LIMITED | 50 |
| INTERFLOOR LIMITED | 46 |
| LINPAC PACKAGING LIMITED | 42 |
| RECYCLE FOR FUTURE LTD | 42 |
| JSP LIMITED | 39 |
| WRC RECYCLING LIMITED | 35 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 1m-15m | 57 |
| 54m+ | 51 |
| 15m-54m | 20 |
| 0-1m | 17 |
| Other | 14 |
Import seasonality
What this shows: Average monthly import pattern from historical data.
Exports by country
What this shows: Export market volume by destination country from the UK.
Top 5 values
| Country | £ |
|---|---|
| Netherlands | 61,009,253 |
| Turkey | 52,211,329 |
| Germany | 23,474,642 |
| Spain | 19,607,050 |
| Belgium | 18,819,905 |
Export countries rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: Destination countries are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month export volume, right side by second 12-month export volume, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| Country | First 12m £ | Second 12m £ | Delta £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Netherlands | 29,315,105 | 31,694,148 | +2,379,043 |
| Turkey | 28,691,220 | 23,520,109 | -5,171,111 |
| Germany | 13,223,183 | 10,251,459 | -2,971,724 |
| Spain | 11,857,119 | 7,749,931 | -4,107,188 |
| Belgium | 9,071,962 | 9,747,943 | +675,981 |
| Italy | 10,043,223 | 7,880,506 | -2,162,717 |
| France | 9,099,085 | 8,571,438 | -527,647 |
| Malaysia | 6,810,741 | 6,301,760 | -508,981 |
| Portugal | 6,678,049 | 4,053,858 | -2,624,191 |
| Indonesia | 3,724,333 | 4,130,599 | +406,266 |
Exports by country of origin
What this shows: Export volume by production origin country. For re-exports, indicates where goods originated before UK export.
Top 5 values
| Origin | £ |
|---|---|
| XI | 2,340,933 |
| Ireland | 35,716 |
| Germany | 2,075 |
Export origin countries rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: Origin countries are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month export value, right side by second 12-month export value, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| Origin | First 12m £ | Second 12m £ | Delta £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| XI | 819,083 | 1,521,850 | +702,767 |
| Ireland | 35,716 | 0 | -35,716 |
| Germany | 2,075 | 0 | -2,075 |
Export volume by transport
What this shows: Export value by transport mode used to ship goods from the UK.
Top 5 values
| Transport | £ |
|---|---|
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 154,898,675 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 135,120,096 |
| Other | 2,378,724 |
| Air transport | 682,623 |
| Road transport | 5,414 |
Export transport rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: Transport modes are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month export value, right side by second 12-month export value, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| Transport | First 12m £ | Second 12m £ | Delta £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 78,557,059 | 76,341,616 | -2,215,443 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 73,408,620 | 61,711,476 | -11,697,144 |
| Other | 856,874 | 1,521,850 | +664,976 |
| Air transport | 222,839 | 459,784 | +236,945 |
| Road transport | 5,414 | 0 | -5,414 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Immingham Docks | 58,200,681 |
| Felixstowe | 51,736,460 |
| London Gateway Port | 44,260,855 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 30,960,376 |
| London | 26,464,682 |
Export port rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: Ports are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month export value, right side by second 12-month export value, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| Port | First 12m £ | Second 12m £ | Delta £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Immingham Docks | 29,141,946 | 29,058,735 | -83,211 |
| Felixstowe | 26,289,931 | 25,446,529 | -843,402 |
| London Gateway Port | 19,447,732 | 24,813,123 | +5,365,391 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 16,211,389 | 14,748,987 | -1,462,402 |
| London | 13,814,167 | 12,650,515 | -1,163,652 |
| Southampton | 12,673,113 | 6,553,454 | -6,119,659 |
| Hull | 6,489,499 | 3,809,199 | -2,680,300 |
| Liverpool Docks | 4,334,470 | 3,707,360 | -627,110 |
| Harwich | 4,693,220 | 2,544,512 | -2,148,708 |
| Belfast Port | 3,913,665 | 2,585,021 | -1,328,644 |
Related HS codes
What this shows: Sibling or child HS codes in the same classification branch.
Quick facts
HS code: 3915
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: Leftover or discarded plastic materials, including trimmings and scraps, ready for recycling