China embraces new opportunities by tapping into 'urban mines'

TIANJIN - At a recycling plant in North China's Tianjin municipality, scrapped cars are sent down a disassembly line. Within just 15 minutes, a vehicle is reduced to fragments that can be recycled for materials like copper, aluminum and plastic.

In addition, electric vehicle batteries also undergo testing, sorting, and reassembly at this plant, with usable components repurposed across various sectors, while the remaining parts are safely dismantled and converted into raw materials for new batteries.

The plant is located in Ziya Circular Economy Industrial Park in Tianjin. A few years ago, when the concept of a circular economy was virtually unknown, the area hosted only a few family workshops for the dismantling of discarded appliances.

Today, it has transformed into China's first national economic and technological development zone dedicated to circular economy as its core industry.

Urban mines generally refer to discarded household appliances and electronic waste rich in rare and precious metals, such as lithium, titanium, gold, indium, silver, antimony, cobalt and palladium.

In a production workshop of GEM Co Ltd in Tianjin, a warehouse spanning over 2,000 square meters is filled with various types of batteries awaiting processing.

In 2023, GEM recycled and reused over 20,000 tons of nickel resources, accounting for more than 20 percent of China's primary nickel extraction, the company said.

According to data from the China Association of Circular Economy, approximately 260 million tons of scrap steel were recycled in China in 2023, accounting for around 25 percent of total crude steel production.

Recycled non-ferrous metals output had reached about 17.6 million tons in China in 2023, roughly 25 percent of total non-ferrous metals production, while recycled pulp production neared 60 million tons, making up about 70 percent of total pulp production.

As a hub for circular economy, Tianjin has developed an industrial chain focused on urban mining, leading the country in areas such as recycling of discarded electronic appliances, circular transformation of industrial parks and water resource recycling.

On Oct 18, China Resources Recycling Group Co Ltd, a centrally administered state-owned enterprise, was officially launched in Tianjin.

The newly established enterprise will specialize in resource recycling and reuse, undertaking the important task of building a national platform in this respect.

Tianjin is among many cities in the country stepping up efforts to pursue a circular economy.

In Hefei, capital of East China's Anhui province, food waste collected from urban communities and dining establishments is transformed into raw material for biodiesel production at a factory of China Energy Conservation and Environmental Protection Group.

As one of the leading waste treatment facilities in China for comprehensive waste utilization, the factory is designed to process around 730,000 tons of municipal waste annually.

To accelerate the construction of a waste recycling system and consolidate green and low-carbon foundations for the country's quest to achieve high-quality development, China's State Council has also released a guideline document specifying goals and measures.

By 2025, the annual utilization volume of major renewable resources such as scrap steel, scrap copper and scrap aluminum is expected to reach 450 million tons, according to the document.

"The circular economy significantly enhances resource utilization efficiency," said Zhu Liyang, president of the China Association of Circular Economy. "It is truly a 'gold mine.'"