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 5,358,594
Ireland 1,342,031
Netherlands 1,109,911
United Arab Emirates 1,054,030
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 570,057 4,788,537 +4,218,480
Ireland 993,296 348,735 -644,561
Netherlands 1,069,042 40,869 -1,028,173
United Arab Emirates 177,918 876,112 +698,194
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
Italy 46,767 0 -46,767
Turkey 46,564 0 -46,564

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 5,390,822
Ireland 1,339,501
Netherlands 1,134,470
United Arab Emirates 1,130,220
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 570,057 4,820,765 +4,250,708
Ireland 991,807 347,694 -644,113
Netherlands 1,069,042 65,428 -1,003,614
United Arab Emirates 254,108 876,112 +622,004
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
Bangladesh 46,767 0 -46,767
Turkey 46,564 0 -46,564

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 6
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough 2
Hampshire and Isle of Wight 2
Northern Ireland 2
Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire 1

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 4 3 -1
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough 1 1 +0
Hampshire and Isle of Wight 0 2 +2
Northern Ireland 0 2 +2
Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire 1 0 -1
Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire 1 0 -1
Cheshire 1 0 -1
Greater Manchester 1 0 -1
Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire 0 1 +1
Inner London - West 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) 8,344,925
Roll on Roll off (RORO) 1,470,544
Air transport 98,575
Other 1,489

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) 2,216,137 6,128,788 +3,912,651
Roll on Roll off (RORO) 1,038,545 431,999 -606,546
Air transport 17,007 81,568 +64,561
Other 1,489 0 -1,489

Import volume by port

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

Top 5 values

Port £
Felixstowe 4,723,262
London Gateway Port 1,573,386
Heysham 1,242,434
Southampton 839,843
Hull 752,537

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 787,200 3,936,062 +3,148,862
London Gateway Port 212,459 1,360,927 +1,148,468
Heysham 966,338 276,096 -690,242
Southampton 111,940 727,903 +615,963
Hull 752,537 0 -752,537
London 186,090 18,441 -167,649
Immingham Docks 165,286 27,415 -137,871
Liverpool Docks 16,954 148,433 +131,479
London Heathrow Airport 17,007 68,115 +51,108
Dover 46,767 3,453 -43,314

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 9
Waste collection, treatment and disposal activities; materials recovery 7
Wholesale trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles 3
Remediation activities and other waste management services. 2
Architectural and engineering activities; technical testing and analysis 1

Importer companies over time

What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.

Latest 5

Month Companies
2026-04 4
2026-03 2
2026-02 3
2026-01 2
2025-12 3

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 8
0-1m 7
54m+ 7
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 £
Spain 10,138,399
France 9,963,996
Netherlands 7,529,847
Turkey 4,946,162
Germany 2,081,110

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 £
Spain 6,647,079 3,491,320 -3,155,759
France 4,005,014 5,958,982 +1,953,968
Netherlands 3,692,856 3,836,991 +144,135
Turkey 2,284,862 2,661,300 +376,438
Germany 934,492 1,146,618 +212,126
Indonesia 17,634 1,865,970 +1,848,336
Ireland 678,590 1,135,758 +457,168
Portugal 461,643 1,327,831 +866,188
United States 1,341,214 342,481 -998,733
Slovakia 212,368 1,067,907 +855,539

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 8,927

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 8,927 +8,927

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) 31,836,112
Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) 17,978,345
Air transport 80,953
Other 8,927

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) 15,052,856 16,783,256 +1,730,400
Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) 9,066,296 8,912,049 -154,247
Air transport 3,066 77,887 +74,821
Other 0 8,927 +8,927

Export volume by port

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

Top 5 values

Port £
Dover / Eurotunnel 10,336,987
Immingham Docks 9,776,226
Felixstowe 6,025,231
London 5,335,801
London Gateway Port 4,863,089

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 4,269,798 6,067,189 +1,797,391
Immingham Docks 4,715,810 5,060,416 +344,606
Felixstowe 3,248,215 2,777,016 -471,199
London 2,623,066 2,712,735 +89,669
London Gateway Port 1,355,672 3,507,417 +2,151,745
Thamesport 2,286,698 529,154 -1,757,544
Southampton 1,237,868 517,110 -720,758
Liverpool Docks 737,747 659,007 -78,740
Dover 739,430 383,683 -355,747
Heysham 372,800 682,665 +309,865

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