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China’s Legislature Aims to Tighten Up Recycling Rules Before Wave of Retired EV Batteries Hits

Published: May. 15, 2026  7:08 p.m.  GMT+8
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Recycled power batteries at a technology company’s production facility. Photo: IC photo
Recycled power batteries at a technology company’s production facility. Photo: IC photo

China is working on a legal framework to standardize the recycling of electric vehicle (EV) batteries, said an industry ministry official, as the country braces for an immense influx of retired power cells.

The legislative push aims to address potential environmental and safety risks stemming from an unregulated grey market, where many waste power batteries are not properly disposed due to the lack of overarching administrative laws, Wang Peng, director of the department of energy conservation and comprehensive utilization under the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), said at an industry forum on Wednesday.

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  • China developing legal framework for EV battery recycling to address grey market risks; MIIT consulting on regulations after April interim measures.
  • NEV sales hit 53.2% penetration in April; 380,000 tons batteries retired last year, projected 1.06M tons by 2030.
  • <30% recycled compliantly; law enforcement campaign launched; full framework targeted by 2027.
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Who’s Who
China Auto Data Co. Ltd.
Hu Song, technical director of the power battery department at China Auto Data Co. Ltd., stated that China retired about 380,000 tons of power batteries last year, expected to exceed 1.06 million tons by 2030. Roughly 54% came from scrapped vehicles, 22.6% from production, and 20.1% from repair.
China Resource Recycling Group Battery Co.
Bai Chunping, general manager of China Resource Recycling Group Battery Co., stated at an industry forum that less than 30% of waste power batteries in China are currently recycled through compliant channels.
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