China’s Recycling Industry

2 min read

Renewable resources refer to so called waste materials generated in the course of daily life or manufacturing that have degraded in value but can be recycled and re-used.Substituting these resources for primary raw materials reduces energy consumption and pollution levels.It is hence little wonder that the recycling industry，as the most important step in the development of a recyclable economy，has received strong support from governments around the world.

Here in China，renewable resources have proven vital to some major industries.

They account for 26 percent of raw materials consumed by the steel industry，more than 20 percent of those used in the non-ferrous metals industry，and some 50 percent of those used in the papermaking industry.

Yet China’s recycling industry remains in its infancy，and teething problemsabound.They include the low quality of labor，small-scale operation，a yawnin technological gap，secondary pollution and a low processing ratio.Prior to 2001，there were only 5000 to 6000 recycling businesses nationwide.But when th government abolished the waste collection certification system and formulated special tax policies in 2002，the number of recycling enterprises exploded.

particularly in the coastal areas of southeast China.Today，there are about 60000 to 70000 such enterprises in China，employing more than 10 million people.

Despite the industry’s being largely propelled by government policies，poor regulations and management caused chaos in its operation.A series of problemsemerged for society，the environment and public facilities.Motivated by profit alone，most of the small-scale operators produced even more secondary pollution and waste.