China plans to issue new standards for importing steel scrap into the country by the end of 2020, just before its solid waste ban comes into effect.
According to media reports, the review stage for the steel scrap standards, which was announced by the Asian nation earlier this year, has been completed and the government is working towards finalizing them for publication at year’s end.
The new standards have become especially important for China as it looks to impose a ban on various solid waste imports by the end of the year. The country has classified scrap metal as solid waste, but it has already made exceptions for some high-grade aluminum and copper scrap, which the country will continue importing even after the ban comes into effect, reports noted.
Certain ferrous scrap grades are also expected to be exempted from the ban once the new standards are published, since raw material supply for Chinese electric arc furnaces is dwindling and the country would like to reduce its dependence on iron ore, reports indicated, citing a statement by Wen Xuefeng, head, solid waste department at the Ministry of Ecology and Environment in China.