Selling recycled materials in 2026 means working under a tighter set of European rules than even two years ago. Digital shipment reporting is now mandatory, harmonised end-of-waste criteria for plastics are on the way, and export rules for plastic waste are being tightened. For sellers and buyers alike, the common thread is evidence: who can prove what a lot contains and where it has been.
The revised Waste Shipment Regulation, Regulation (EU) 2024/1157, replaces the older rules progressively. Since 21 May 2026 the Digital Waste Shipment System (DIWASS) has been mandatory for submissions and exchanges under the regulation, and operators need an EU Login account and the right identifiers to take part. Shipments that were acknowledged under the old rules before that date have a transition period to finish recovery or disposal. For anyone moving material across borders, paperwork is no longer a side task: it is a digital process with deadlines.
The European Commission has put forward harmonised end-of-waste criteria for plastic waste, aimed mainly at thermoplastic polymers. The draft sets requirements for inputs, processes and output quality, including limits on foreign material, certified quality management and statements of conformity for recyclates. The stated aim is less administrative burden, more legal certainty and easier cross-border trade in recycled plastics. Adoption is expected later in 2026, so sellers should treat the current draft as the direction of travel rather than the final text.
On exports, the revised regulation brings all plastic waste exports under prior informed consent and foresees a ban on plastic waste exports to non-OECD countries from 21 November 2026. Material that cannot move there will look for outlets inside the EU, which makes finding a verified European buyer more important.
Across these changes, buyers will increasingly ask the same questions: what exactly is in this lot, which waste code applies, who generated it, and can you show the records? Sellers who can answer with weighing data, photos, composition information and complete shipment documents will close deals faster than those who can only offer a description.
Evreka Marketplace is designed around exactly this expectation. Lots can carry the weights, photos and composition data your operation already captures in Evreka360 and WasteDashboard, and transport and shipment documents are prepared with the deal in line with the waste codes and notification rules that apply to the material. Participants are checked before they trade, and the terms of each deal are transparent to both sides.
To see how Evreka Marketplace works for your own materials, you can request a demo.
