End-of-life vehicle recycling in China: Now and the future

The volume of in-use vehicles in China will reach 32 million by the end of 2006 and the volume of end-of-life vehicles (ELVs) will be more than 1.5 million by the end of 2005. In 2001, China passed a law regulating the disposal and recycling of ELVs. Progress has been slow, with the rate of ELV dismantling just 10% at the beginning of 2004. However, a pilot industrial demonstration of ELV dismantling and disposal was established in Shanghai in 2005. In addition, Shanghai Volkswagen established a modern engine remanufacturing plant aiming at its after-sales market. This article reviews the ELV policy, law, and administration system in China; the ELV dismantling industry; the challenges and opportunities of ELV recycling; and the state-of-the-art of remanufacturing of ELVs in China.