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Can waste become a commodity ? The Chinese case study

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Waste has emerged as China’s biggest environmental challenges. The country faces a solid waste treatment backlog of around 60-70 billion tonnes, putting it under huge pressure to boost recycling capacity. It has already launched a scheme to create “waste-free cities” and is building hundreds of “comprehensive recycling bases” across the country. But firms complain that China lacks the infrastructure and waste treatment habits required to create a profitable business. We all know China closed the door on recyclable materials last year and will again tighten up by 2020.  The aim is to block imports of all waste products that could be sourced domestically. Qiu Qiwen, director of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment’s solid waste division,   said products not included on the banned list would also be restricted by next year, but high-quality material would still be accepted. “If the solid waste ... meets the requirements of China’s import standards and doesn’t contain a