
The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries filed comments with the World Trade Organization (WTO) on August 21 in response to China’s intent to ban certain scrap imports.
As the Voice of the Recycling Industry, ISRI made a statement that they support free and fair trade and oppose measures that restrict movements of specification-grade commodities around the world. They believed that China’s ban on “solid waste” to prevent imported waste from polluting the environment will have a negative economic impact on the recycling industries in the United States and China. It will also affect the manufacturing sector by rising prices of materials and is against sustainability efforts coming from the use of recyclable materials.
{alcircleadd}ISRI has also requested a revision of the policy to avoid a disruption in trade as well as clarification of the ban’s scope.

“ISRI fully supports the efforts of the Chinese Government to improve environmental protection and standards within its domestic recycling infrastructure. However, we disagree that a ban on the import of specification-grade scrap materials will help with those efforts. …” the comment read.
They said that any change in Chinese policy concerning the import of scrap commodities will be felt around the world. …
“There is a need to distinguish scrap from waste within the Notification, as well as in the underlying regulations and related notices issued by the Chinese, in order to properly identify those materials for which the Chinese Government intends to truly impose a ban, while at the same time providing clarity for the exporting community as to what products are permissible for import. …” the comment added.
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The comment also said that the U.S. recycling industry supported the Chinese Government’s efforts to improve domestic collection, processing and distribution of scrap materials. They also recommended that Chinese Government recognizes “industry-wide standards as outlined in the ISRI Specifications Circular”.
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