Page 228 - 2017 White Paper
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7 White Paper on the Business Environment in China
been processed in some way and the import of whole using simple technology, and are not safe places to work”.
bottles was forbidden (Toloken 2010). and that “‘99 percent’ of China’s scrap plastics companies
do not have equipment to properly clean the water they
The new rules “require that importers have existing use in their factories” (Toloken 2012c).
facilities and a current license to import recycled plastic,
that they be located in a district designated for recycling Major goals of the new regulation appears to be the
and have imported at least 10,000 metric tons of material consolidation of recycling operations into ‘campuses’
in each of the last three years” (Toloken 2010). which will feature more sophisticated waste treatment
facilities and management to limit the process’ negative
Plastics News observes that “The issue has been environmental impact. Such consolidation would carry
closely watched for its potential impact on recycling with it the additional benefit of easier regulation and
streams worldwide, and for its potential to increase oversight of the trade (Sun 2012).
China’s already significant imports of PET. The country,
for example, has taken more than half of the recycled PET A 2014 report by the Tokyo Foundation outlines China’
bottles collected in the United States for each of the last plans for the recycling and urban mining sector and how
four years” (Toloken 2010). these developments could be key drivers for economic
growth in its interior provinces. According to the report,
Plan for Expanded Ban on Free Plastic “in May 2010, China’s National Development and Reform
Bags Commission and the Ministry of Finance announced
a plan to develop pilot urban mining facilities in 30
Since the implementation of the ban on complimentary cities within five years—with financial assistance being
plastic bags at retail locations in 2008, plastic bag usage provided by the central and regional governments—to
has reportedly dropped by two-thirds. To further reduce obtain reusable resources from junked electrical and
the use of plastic bags, the Ministry of Commerce has electronic appliances. Seven newly developed industrial
published a new regulation for public feedback that parks were identified as the first group of such facilities:
would extend the ban to include restaurants, hospitals Tianying Recycling Economic Park in Jieshou, Anhui;
and book stores (Zheng 2011). Ziya Circular Economy Industrial Park in Tianjin; Jintian
Industrial Park in Ningbo, Zhejiang; Miluo Industrial Park
Increased Regulatory Supervision of in Hunan; Huaqing Circular Economy Park in Qingyan,
Plastic Recyclers Guangdong; Jinmai Industrial Park in Qingdao; and the
Southwest Resource Recycling Industrial Park in Sichuan.
A round of new attention from environmental The target is for the seven to recycle 1.9 million tons of
regulators on the plastic recycling trade has led the copper, 800,000 tons of aluminum, 350,000 tons of lead,
Ministry of Environmental Protection to issue the and 1.8 million tons of plastic by 2015. Another 15 sites
“Imported Waste Plastics Environmental Protection have already been earmarked for phase two of the urban
Regulation” (Sun 2012). mining initiative”.
According to Plastics News, “The new regulation will On September 22, 2008, the report says, “the Neijiang
set a market entry barrier, which is 4,000 square meters municipal government in southwestern China and
of site area and 5,000 metric tons of annual processing China Recycling Development Co., the largest resource
capacity”. The regulation also “divides the 1,600 or so recycling company in the country, reached agreement on
companies [operating in the industry] into four categories the construction of the Southwest Recycling base, and on
and raises certain requirements for each category” (Sun November 14 they signed a contract calling for an initial
2012). investment of 3.4 billion yuan to develop a recycling
park spanning 3.3 square kilometers to function as the
Like many industries in China, a certain degree of core facility for the recycling base.The base is a colossal
fragmentation and reliance on low-tech production project that will make it the largest recycling center in
methods has led to a proliferation of small, inefficient the southwest, comprising a market covering some 53.3
facilities which may have little or no environmental km2 and another area for the deep processing of recycled
oversight. According to one plastic recycling executive, resources covering 26.7 km2. The core recycling park is
“Many of the recycling plants are operated by farmers, being built in three phases over five years and is scheduled
228
been processed in some way and the import of whole using simple technology, and are not safe places to work”.
bottles was forbidden (Toloken 2010). and that “‘99 percent’ of China’s scrap plastics companies
do not have equipment to properly clean the water they
The new rules “require that importers have existing use in their factories” (Toloken 2012c).
facilities and a current license to import recycled plastic,
that they be located in a district designated for recycling Major goals of the new regulation appears to be the
and have imported at least 10,000 metric tons of material consolidation of recycling operations into ‘campuses’
in each of the last three years” (Toloken 2010). which will feature more sophisticated waste treatment
facilities and management to limit the process’ negative
Plastics News observes that “The issue has been environmental impact. Such consolidation would carry
closely watched for its potential impact on recycling with it the additional benefit of easier regulation and
streams worldwide, and for its potential to increase oversight of the trade (Sun 2012).
China’s already significant imports of PET. The country,
for example, has taken more than half of the recycled PET A 2014 report by the Tokyo Foundation outlines China’
bottles collected in the United States for each of the last plans for the recycling and urban mining sector and how
four years” (Toloken 2010). these developments could be key drivers for economic
growth in its interior provinces. According to the report,
Plan for Expanded Ban on Free Plastic “in May 2010, China’s National Development and Reform
Bags Commission and the Ministry of Finance announced
a plan to develop pilot urban mining facilities in 30
Since the implementation of the ban on complimentary cities within five years—with financial assistance being
plastic bags at retail locations in 2008, plastic bag usage provided by the central and regional governments—to
has reportedly dropped by two-thirds. To further reduce obtain reusable resources from junked electrical and
the use of plastic bags, the Ministry of Commerce has electronic appliances. Seven newly developed industrial
published a new regulation for public feedback that parks were identified as the first group of such facilities:
would extend the ban to include restaurants, hospitals Tianying Recycling Economic Park in Jieshou, Anhui;
and book stores (Zheng 2011). Ziya Circular Economy Industrial Park in Tianjin; Jintian
Industrial Park in Ningbo, Zhejiang; Miluo Industrial Park
Increased Regulatory Supervision of in Hunan; Huaqing Circular Economy Park in Qingyan,
Plastic Recyclers Guangdong; Jinmai Industrial Park in Qingdao; and the
Southwest Resource Recycling Industrial Park in Sichuan.
A round of new attention from environmental The target is for the seven to recycle 1.9 million tons of
regulators on the plastic recycling trade has led the copper, 800,000 tons of aluminum, 350,000 tons of lead,
Ministry of Environmental Protection to issue the and 1.8 million tons of plastic by 2015. Another 15 sites
“Imported Waste Plastics Environmental Protection have already been earmarked for phase two of the urban
Regulation” (Sun 2012). mining initiative”.
According to Plastics News, “The new regulation will On September 22, 2008, the report says, “the Neijiang
set a market entry barrier, which is 4,000 square meters municipal government in southwestern China and
of site area and 5,000 metric tons of annual processing China Recycling Development Co., the largest resource
capacity”. The regulation also “divides the 1,600 or so recycling company in the country, reached agreement on
companies [operating in the industry] into four categories the construction of the Southwest Recycling base, and on
and raises certain requirements for each category” (Sun November 14 they signed a contract calling for an initial
2012). investment of 3.4 billion yuan to develop a recycling
park spanning 3.3 square kilometers to function as the
Like many industries in China, a certain degree of core facility for the recycling base.The base is a colossal
fragmentation and reliance on low-tech production project that will make it the largest recycling center in
methods has led to a proliferation of small, inefficient the southwest, comprising a market covering some 53.3
facilities which may have little or no environmental km2 and another area for the deep processing of recycled
oversight. According to one plastic recycling executive, resources covering 26.7 km2. The core recycling park is
“Many of the recycling plants are operated by farmers, being built in three phases over five years and is scheduled
228
