Since 2017, the Chinese government has been reforming its solid waste management system, including implementing prohibitions and restrictions on scrap imports. ReMA supports the Chinese government’s efforts to protect the environment and supports efforts to eliminate illegal trash dumping. Scrap commodities, however, are valuable products that are essential to manufacturing, and trade in scrap commodities contributes to the well-being of the planet by allowing recyclable materials to be directed to where recycling capacity is located; China’s import restrictions prevent the completion of the closed loop economy supported by recycling.
ReMA also supports efforts by the governments of China and the United States to negotiate solutions that could end the trade dispute, remove tariffs and provide certainty in the international marketplace.