Import/export HS code 39159020: Plastic waste from PET

Recyclable plastic scraps made from polyethylene terephthalate, often used for bottles

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 £
China 6,007,694
Ireland 1,341,815
United Arab Emirates 1,109,535
Netherlands 941,807
United Republic of Tanzania 406,449

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 £
China 1,840,261 4,167,433 +2,327,172
Ireland 1,030,000 311,815 -718,185
United Arab Emirates 398,353 711,182 +312,829
Netherlands 888,221 53,586 -834,635
United Republic of Tanzania 0 406,449 +406,449
Oman 208,721 0 -208,721
Bahrain 76,190 0 -76,190
Israel 0 65,258 +65,258
Turkey 46,564 0 -46,564
Germany 0 35,478 +35,478

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 £
China 6,039,922
Ireland 1,340,560
United Arab Emirates 1,185,725
Netherlands 966,366
United Republic of Tanzania 406,449

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 £
China 1,840,261 4,199,661 +2,359,400
Ireland 1,029,786 310,774 -719,012
United Arab Emirates 474,543 711,182 +236,639
Netherlands 888,221 78,145 -810,076
United Republic of Tanzania 0 406,449 +406,449
Oman 140,004 0 -140,004
Colombia 68,717 0 -68,717
Israel 0 65,258 +65,258
Turkey 46,564 0 -46,564
Indonesia 0 33,343 +33,343

Importers across UK regions

What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.

Top 5 values

UK region Companies
Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire 4
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough 2
Greater Manchester 2
Hampshire and Isle of Wight 2
Northern Ireland 2

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
Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire 2 3 +1
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough 1 1 +0
Greater Manchester 1 2 +1
Hampshire and Isle of Wight 0 2 +2
Northern Ireland 0 2 +2
Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire 1 0 -1
Cheshire 1 0 -1
Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire 0 1 +1
Inner London - West 0 1 +1
Kent 0 1 +1

Import volume by transport

What this shows: Import value by transport mode used to bring goods into the UK.

Top 5 values

Transport £
Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) 8,838,582
Roll on Roll off (RORO) 1,418,986
Air transport 122,376
Other 214

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 £
Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) 3,465,250 5,373,332 +1,908,082
Roll on Roll off (RORO) 1,012,874 406,112 -606,762
Air transport 24,181 98,195 +74,014
Other 214 0 -214

Import volume by port

What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.

Top 5 values

Port £
Felixstowe 5,164,072
London Gateway Port 1,555,531
Heysham 1,245,104
Southampton 1,031,787
Hull 645,652

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 £
Felixstowe 1,472,377 3,691,695 +2,219,318
London Gateway Port 538,065 1,017,466 +479,401
Heysham 998,802 246,302 -752,500
Southampton 444,493 587,294 +142,801
Hull 645,652 0 -645,652
Immingham Docks 147,294 19,637 -127,657
Liverpool Docks 117,087 46,469 -70,618
London 105,243 18,441 -86,802
London Heathrow Airport 24,181 84,742 +60,561
Grangemouth Docks 0 73,360 +73,360

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
7
Waste collection, treatment and disposal activities; materials recovery
7
Wholesale trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles
4
Architectural and engineering activities; technical testing and analysis
1
Crop and animal production, hunting and related service activities
1

Importer companies over time

What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.

Latest 5

Month Companies
2026-05 6
2026-04 4
2026-03 2
2026-02 3
2026-01 2

Top importers

What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.

Importer company size by revenue band

What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.

Top 5 values

Revenue Companies
1m-15m 7
54m+ 7
0-1m 6
15m-54m 2
Other 2

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 £
France 10,229,676
Spain 9,166,006
Netherlands 7,478,029
Turkey 4,773,713
Indonesia 2,119,329

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 £
France 5,715,658 4,514,018 -1,201,640
Spain 6,644,749 2,521,257 -4,123,492
Netherlands 4,329,528 3,148,501 -1,181,027
Turkey 1,985,043 2,788,670 +803,627
Indonesia 48,584 2,070,745 +2,022,161
Germany 983,801 1,045,783 +61,982
Ireland 1,042,042 930,975 -111,067
Portugal 1,141,122 657,126 -483,996
United States 1,430,592 253,103 -1,177,489
Slovakia 303,665 976,610 +672,945

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 35,904

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 0 35,904 +35,904

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) 31,474,964
Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) 17,315,987
Air transport 82,310
Other 35,904

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) 17,805,387 13,669,577 -4,135,810
Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) 9,508,606 7,807,381 -1,701,225
Air transport 1,147 81,163 +80,016
Other 0 35,904 +35,904

Export volume by port

What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.

Top 5 values

Port £
Dover / Eurotunnel 10,335,856
Immingham Docks 9,582,036
Felixstowe 5,703,522
London Gateway Port 5,147,448
London 5,023,881

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 £
Dover / Eurotunnel 5,319,091 5,016,765 -302,326
Immingham Docks 5,624,881 3,957,155 -1,667,726
Felixstowe 2,803,423 2,900,099 +96,676
London Gateway Port 1,560,614 3,586,834 +2,026,220
London 2,934,390 2,089,491 -844,899
Thamesport 2,264,654 106,508 -2,158,146
Southampton 1,306,063 390,628 -915,435
Liverpool Docks 1,144,595 266,974 -877,621
Dover 532,332 546,220 +13,888
Hull 867,940 168,189 -699,751

Quick facts

HS code: 39159020

Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months

Description: Recyclable plastic scraps made from polyethylene terephthalate, often used for bottles