China says it will extend import ban to yet more recyclables

Asia – The Chinese government has listed more recyclable materials that will be prohibited for import over the course of the next two years. Those to be banned by the end of 2018 will include post-industrial plastics, steel slag, compressed car pieces, vessels, small electric motors and insulated wires.

By the end of 2019, the prohibition will be extended to stainless steel scraps and non-ferrous scrap excluding aluminium and copper. The announcement from Beijing follows the import ban placed on 24 categories of recyclable material at the start of this year.

According to the US Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI), the latest move by the Chinese government ‘will have an impact on more than 676 000 tonnes, worth about US$ 278 million, in US scrap commodity exports to China in the first year and another 85 000 tonnes worth more than US$ 117 million in the second year’.

ISRI’s president Robin Wiener comments: ‘Although we anticipated more import restrictions would be announced, we remain concerned about the effect these policies have on the global supply chain of environmentally-friendly, energy-saving scrap commodities and will instead promote an increased use of virgin materials in China, offsetting the government’s intent to protect the environment.’