China Officially Announces its Intent to Ban Scrap Imports

Following on its notification to the World Trade Organization (WTO), the Government of China officially announced on July 21, 2017, it has "banned the importation of 24 categories of solid waste such as waste plastics, unsorted waste paper, waste raw textile materials, and vanadium slag that pose very high risk of environmental pollution."
While no further details are given on the specific materials to be included in the ban, the statement describes the environmental concerns the government hopes to address by prevent imports of solid waste into China. Read the full announcement in English and Chinese.

ISRI submitted comments to the Chinese Government in response to the import ban announcement, expressing support to China’s efforts to improve the environment, promoting terminology to distinguish scrap from waste and the use of ISRI Specifications and asking specific questions to provide clarity on the timing and scope of the ban.  Read those comments in English and Chinese.

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