China may lift ban on scrap imports in early 2021

From Japanese sources it became known that China may lift the ban on imports of scrap metal in early 2021 or no later than June next year.

China has reclassified steel scrap as a recyclable resource, so scrap will not be considered waste and therefore will not be subject to the import ban.

Due to concerns about the environment, the Chinese government announced a ban in July 2019 on 24 types of solid waste, including steel scrap. However, the lack of self-sufficiency in scrap used to make steel in electric furnaces has prompted industrial enterprises to ask the government since May of this year to allow the import of scrap.