n° 167 – July 2020

On June 30, China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE) announced that, from January to May 2020, scrap import volumes amounted to 3.226 million tons for a year-on-year decrease of 45.3%. But while the MEE will continue to approve scrap imports during the second half of 2020, it will further reduce the volumes allowed into the country, in line with the established plan of the Party Central Committee and State Council to achieve zero scrap imports. From the start of 2021, China will completely ban imports of scrap and the MEE will no longer accept and approve scrap import applications. 

The newly-revised Law on the Prevention and Control of Environmental Pollution by Solid Wastes will come into force on September 1 2020.

Although China implemented three new national standards covering imports of recycling materials for brass, copper and cast aluminium alloys from July 1, there has yet to be an announcement on the customs codes of these three raw materials and on import procedures, meaning in effect that imports of these three recycling materials - brass, copper and cast aluminium alloys - have been postponed.

On July 1, the China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association staged an online media briefing on the implementation of quality standards covering recycling materials for brass, copper and cast aluminium alloys, during which the CMRA underlined the importance it attaches to promoting the implementation of standards. The CMRA has organized the preparation of a White Paper on Pretreatment of Recycling Copper and Aluminum Raw Materials to help domestic and foreign companies understand standard technical indicators and requirements. It has been deemed necessary to develop qualification of foreign suppliers and domestic consignees to meet relevant national laws and regulations, to learn from the good experience and practices of domestic and foreign industry organizations, and to support compliance. The formulation of “Administrative Measures for Qualification Recognition” has now been completed and certification will be carried out soon.

Ma Hongchang - Ma Hongchang ()

Ma Hongchang

Regional recycling expert (CHN), provides BIR with a regular update on policy and regulatory developments in China. The following is based on his latest report.


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n° 167 – July 2020