China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment has confirmed that the country will be banning the import of solid waste from next year (2021) and will therefore no longer accept or approve import applications for solid waste, reports the Bureau of International Recycling (BIR).
The information was provided during a recent press conference and is in line with the policies applied since 2017 to reduce the imports of foreign waste, says BIR.
It adds: “A newly revised law on the Prevention and Control of Environmental Pollution by Solid Wastes is announced to come into force on 1 September, clarifying the legal requirements for the identification of attributes of imported goods suspected of solid wastes.”
The ban is in line with policies applied since 2017 to crackdown on the import of foreign waste, the BIR says.
A newly revised law on the Prevention and Control of Environmental Pollution by Solid Wastes is announced to come into force on 1 September, clarifying the legal requirements for the identification of attributes of imported goods suspected of solid wastes
In 2018, China introduced a ban on 24 grades of solid waste, including unsorted mixed papers and post-consumer plastics, and implemented a 0.5% contamination limit for all other solid waste imports.
It’s reported that ferrous scrap will not be affected by the move.
Import restrictions imposed since July 2019 have significantly slowed the inflow of ferrous scrap into China, reports state.
The Chinese government issues limited import quotas for scrap from time to time.
Since the restrictions were put into place, Chinese mills that have strong demand for scrap have been urging the authorities to introduce a new set of standards to allow the reopening of the country to imports, especially since they are now cheaper than domestic supply.
