On November 4, five departments, including the National Development and Reform Commission, issued an action plan for implementing a comprehensive conservation strategy. The plan calls for stronger recovery and use of scrap steel, end-of-life vehicles and discarded electrical and electronic products.

These materials are identified in the plan as sources of reusable resources, sometimes described as “urban mines.” It also calls for greater recovery of valuable components and their use in higher-value applications. A broader target is to bring annual utilization of bulk solid waste to approximately 4.5 billion tonnes by 2030.

For recyclers and businesses handling discarded products, the plan draws attention not only to collecting material but also to recovering more value from it. How that emphasis affects collection, processing and downstream use will depend on subsequent implementation. The aggregate waste-utilization target does not specify a separate volume for scrap steel or the other materials named in the plan.