SHANGHAI, Nov 11 (SMM) – The new standards for secondary copper and secondary aluminium raw materials are expected to come into force at the start of next year at the earliest or before Q2 at the latest, according to China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association (CMRA) Recycling Metal Branch.

These standards are the long anticipated “reclassification” of scrap imports to replace the so-called “solid waste” scrap imports which are set to be completely banned by the end of 2020. Imports under the solid waste category are expected to decline significantly through the year as approvals for import permits will be issued on a quarterly basis.

The reclassification under the new standards is expected to be at a very high level, potentially as high as 96% cu content, which could cause a significant reduction on current scrap import levels.