Waste Disposal Tax increasing around the world

We pack items for shipping around the world. Many countries have packing/waste disposal taxes to be paid on the front end.

Japan for example has taxes and fees on packaging disposal based on weight that occurs during the import and is based on weight and materials.

Wood crates compared to foam packing peanuts have different rates based on their weight properties.

Many of our clients who ship to Japan for example ask us to “protect” their item but to use “minimal” packaging due to the high cost of the tax on disposal there.

Years ago I opened a group of stores throughout all the provinces of Canada. These stores were all receiving a specific custom red carpeting that was made here in the US.

Although this carpeting was new and we were installing it into all the stores for use. A disposal fee/tax was charged on the import!

Now in most cases there is a duty drawback program based on if you re export these materials for disposal but this carpet was to be used for over a decade but the trash tax disposal fee still gets paid on the front end.

2025 marks the start of these “up front” garbage/waste/disposal fees/taxes in many countries. The countries that have had these fees for years, the taxes are being rapidly increased especially in hard to dispose of items (big and bulky) like large rolled carpeting or items that require specialized disposition like solar panels.

Watch out for the “trash tax” starting to impact the cost/price you pay for freight goods distributed around the world! Packaging Trash Disposal is becoming a big money business.

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Waste Disposal Tax increasing around the world