The Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) will establish resources recycling systems in the four municipalities and 20 provincial capitals and key cities over the next five years. The recycle rate of major types of resources is expected to reach 80%.

Speaking at a national meeting on resources recycling held recently, vice minister of MOFCOM Jiang Zengwei pointed out that the recyclable resources market in China is worth Rmb300 billion. Except for scrap iron and steel whose recovery rate is relatively high, the rates of other types of resources are: scrap plastic, 25%; scrap rubber, 32%; scrap paper, 35%, and scrap glass, 13%. Meanwhile, the work of recovering electronic waste such as used home appliances and computers has not yet started, and the problem of resources waste is serious. Jiang said the building of a modernised system for the recycling of renewable resources will significantly increase the recovery rate of renewable resources and help alleviate the acute shortage of resources in China while at the same time reduce environmental pollution and safeguard the economic security of the country.

According to Jiang, MOFCOM will speed up the construction of resources recycling systems in the following respects:

1. Introduce the Measures for the Administration of Recycling Renewable Resources and expedite the legislative process for the Regulations on the Administration of Recycling Renewable Resources, with an aim to establish a legal framework for the management of this industry.
   
   
2. Incorporate the development of the resources recycling industry into the 11th Five-Year Programme, the urban and rural construction plans, as well as the retail outlet distribution plans.
   
   
3. Establish a resources recycling industry promotion system, and strengthen policy support in terms of public finance and credit; step up efforts at setting standards for the recycling industry, and set up scientific systems of indicators and statistics.
   
   
4. Strengthen promotion by means of pilot points and demonstrations, and improve the resources recycling networks at the grassroots level.
   
   
5. Support and nurture a number of key enterprises, consolidate and standardise individually-owned operations, and increase the degree of organisation, scale of operation and degree of industrialisation of the industry.?br />
   
6. Step up publicity, education and training, raise public awareness of the scarcity of resources, energy conservation and environmental protection, and improve the quality of industry practitioners.