China: Import of solid waste banned as from 2021


According to reports from our contacts in China, the country’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment has confirmed that China will be banning the import of solid waste as from 2021 and therefore will no longer accept and approve import applications for solid waste.

This information was provided during the Ministry’s press conference on 30 June 2020 and is in line with the policies applied since 2017 to reduce the import of foreign waste. A newly revised “Law on the Prevention and Control of Environmental Pollution by Solid Wastes” is announced to come into force on September 1, clarifying the legal requirements for the identification of attributes of imported goods suspected of solid wastes.