Some companies that import plastics and metals into China legally will be given better customs clearance measures it has been revealed.
Guangzhou customs deputy commissioner Ye Zhenlin has said that designated companies, known as “A class”, in the Guangzhou customs area that are recognised as recycling plastics or metals legally will be given priority in order to speed up their customs clearance by essentially self-regulating themselves through managing and monitoring the import of the materials.
A second tier of companies in the Guangzhou customs area, that are not recognised as “A class” legal importers, will still be classified to manage and supervise imports of materials, but will need to go through a slower process. Guangzhou Customs is the largest customs area for the import of metal and plastic scrap.
Companies exporting to China will need to provide a licence for the import of solid waste as part of the measures introduced on 1 August. Chinese customs have been instructed to crack down on any company that sells, rents or lends its licence to another company. If customs officials discover this practice, they will cancel the licence of the violator.
However, as first revealed by scrap-ex news in July, foreign suppliers of imported solid waste will need to provide pre-shipment inspection certificates to prove that it is a raw material rather than a waste. The Chinese company will also need to provide a certificate to prove it will be used as a raw material and the overseas supplier will also need to provide its certificate of registration that it can be used as the same rather than a waste. The new regulations also apply to materials imported from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan.
Guangzhou province has 748 companies that import plastic scrap and 140 that import metal scrap. However, in the Guangzhou customs area there are 254 companies that import plastics scrap and 117 metal scrap. It is expected that the companies not covered by the Guangzhou customs area that import material, will need to go through a much slower and more complicated process, that will put them at a commercial disadvantage.
