n° 168 – September/October 2020

The 10th batch of import quotas released by the Solid Waste and Chemical Management Centre on July 24 includes 10,110 tons of copper scrap, 1110 tons of aluminium scrap and 3970 tons of ferrous scrap. A few weeks later in mid-August, the 11th batch of quotas was for 14,530 tons of copper scrap and 2610 tons of aluminium scrap. The 12th batch announced on September 17 then included 136,335 tons of copper scrap, 121,285 tons of aluminium scrap and also 2610 tons of ferrous scrap.

Chinese import quotas for the year to date have amounted to 879,475 tons of copper scrap and 818,000 tons of aluminium scrap.

The China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association Recycling Metal Branch (CMRA) opened its qualification certificate application process on August 14 and provided a 20-day window that was subsequently extended to the end of this year. In contrast to AQSIQ certification, neither China’s General Administration of Customs nor its Ministry of Ecology and Environment require foreign suppliers to obtain this qualification certificate as a condition of exporting to China. Nevertheless, as CMRA has acted as the bridge between the Chinese government and the recycling industry, many believe it would be beneficial for businesses to secure the certificate.

Data show that China is recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic, with both car sales and production trending higher in recent months.

At the time of writing, announcement of China’s renewable materials import policy is still pending; many shipping lines have stopped accepting scrap for China and Hong Kong given that the existing policy states that there can be no more solid waste imports by the beginning of 2021 - a deadline that is now only three months away.