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On July 15, 2026, the Hebei Provincial Department of Justice issued a notice soliciting public comment on the Hebei Province Renewable Resources Recycling Management Provisions (Draft Revision for Comment), with comments due by August 15, 2026.

Key Points of the Draft

  • Definition of renewable resources: various wastes generated in social production, business operations, and daily consumption that have lost all or part of their original use value and can regain use value through recycling and processing, including scrap metals, scrapped electronic products, scrapped electromechanical equipment and parts, waste papermaking materials, waste light chemical industry materials, waste glass, and more.
  • New energy equipment recycling: the recycling of retired wind turbines, PV modules, and other new energy equipment shall follow relevant national regulations.
  • Management principles: unified planning and rational layout, government guidance and market operation, industry self-discipline and public participation, and orderly, innovative development.
  • Coordinated supervision: governments at or above the county level strengthen cross-department joint supervision and information sharing; township governments and sub-district offices support the management of recycling outlets and guide community recycling activities within their jurisdictions.
  • Division of duties: the commerce authority of the provincial people's government is responsible for renewable resources recycling management province-wide.

What It Means for Hebei Enterprises

This is a foundational revision of Hebei's renewable resources recycling rules at the provincial level, writing "scrapped electronic products" and "scrapped electromechanical equipment and parts" explicitly into the renewable resources category while leaving an interface with national regulations for the recycling of wind, solar, and other new energy equipment. For processing enterprises rooted in Hebei, the rules on planning, layout, and outlet management will directly shape how recycling networks are built.

Note that the draft is still at the comment stage; the final provisions are subject to formal publication by the provincial people's government. When planning recycling networks, enterprises may reserve adjustment space based on the draft, but should not sign long-term outlet agreements on that basis.

Six Categories, Six Different Regulatory Paths

The draft places six categories of waste under the single "renewable resources" definition, but in practice each follows a different regulatory channel:

  • Scrap metals — recycling and circulation are relatively mature, with the focus on metering and invoice compliance; the recycling of productive scrap metals carries separate filing requirements.
  • Scrapped electronic products — dismantling and processing require the waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) processing qualification; these fall at the intersection of this regulation and specialized management.
  • Scrapped electromechanical equipment and parts — items involving special equipment such as pressure vessels, elevators, and motor vehicles must complete scrapping procedures under relevant rules before entering the recycling stage.
  • Waste papermaking and light chemical materials — pollution prevention in storage and transport is the focus, and some categories also trigger hazardous waste determination.
  • Waste glass — low value and short transport radius; recycling economics depend mainly on whether there is a stable local offtake.

Putting the six categories under one regulation solves the common questions of "who governs and how outlets are laid out"; whether a specific item can be collected and how it must be processed still falls back to the rules of each category's competent authority. This is the layer most easily missed when reading the draft.

Three Things Enterprises Can Do Now

  • Check the filing status of existing outlets — the draft brings outlet management into the regulation, and unfiled recycling points may face rectification once the new rules take effect.
  • Sort out the interface for new energy equipment recycling — wind and PV modules follow national regulations, with the local rule serving only as a bridge. Enterprises already in this business should first confirm the applicable national standards and industry norms.
  • Keep room to adjust the layout — the draft is still open for comment; long-term outlet agreements should not be locked in on draft terms, and short-term cooperation is a safer first step.

Source

Hebei Provincial Department of Justice, "Notice on Public Comment on the Hebei Province Renewable Resources Recycling Management Provisions (Draft Revision for Comment)": sft.hebei.gov.cn.