NANJING — At a resource recycling center, batches of discarded cables are sorted, dismantled, cleaned and processed, transforming waste into valuable raw materials like copper and aluminum for reuse.

This center belongs to State Grid Xuzhou Power Supply Co in Xuzhou, a major energy hub for one of China's economic powerhouses — Jiangsu province.

"Extracting metals from end-of-life cables significantly reduces energy consumption and pollution compared to extracting new resources, and saves costs for buyers of recycled metals," said Xu Hang, head of the materials department at the company.

The potential for carbon reduction is significant. In 2024 alone, Jiangsu's power sector decommissioned over 11,000 metric tons of cables. Xu said that if this amount is recycled, it could potentially reduce carbon emissions by about 30,000 tons.

Recognizing the dual benefits to the economy and the environment, China has vigorously expanded the utilization of the circular economy across all industries. In its 2025 Government Work Report, strengthening the recycling of waste and used materials and expanding the use of renewable materials to boost the circular economy was highlighted.

The country aims to build a circular industrial system by the end of this year, with the output value of the resource recycling industry reaching 5 trillion yuan ($694 billion).

Chinese enterprises are utilizing high technology to upgrade this industry by turning waste into useful products.

At a circular economy industrial park in Jiangsu's Suzhou, advanced facilities can process approximately 500 tons of corporate kitchen waste every day.

"About 90 percent of kitchen waste can be recycled into nutrient-rich soil for landscaping or composting, or converted into biomass natural gas and fed into the city's gas grid," said Huang Yuanchen, general manager of an environmental protection company in the park.

"It's not just kitchen waste. Tree branches and fallen leaves can also be recycled and processed into biomass fuel pellets for use in thermal power plants," Huang said, adding that his company can process 100 tons of green waste daily, generating sales of up to 9 million yuan annually.

"China has made remarkable progress in recent years in recycling both solid waste and agricultural by-products," said Zhu Liyang, president of the China Association of Circular Economy.

According to a CACE report, the recycling sector is expected to contribute more than 30 percent of China's total carbon reduction efforts in 2025, as the country has committed to the dual carbon goals of peaking carbon emissions before 2030 and reaching carbon neutrality before 2060.

Beyond waste recycling, the secondhand goods market — a concept that originated and thrives in the United States and Europe — is gaining traction among Chinese consumers as an eco-friendly alternative.

Major products in China's secondhand goods market include household appliances, daily necessities, books and digital products. Consumers also prefer to purchase secondhand camping equipment, fitness gear and musical instruments at significant discounts, leveraging affordable access to enrich leisure experiences.

To address the growing trend of secondhand digital product transactions, Chinese enterprises have established trading platforms featuring standardized testing, transparent pricing and privacy protections. In April, China Resources Recycling Group Co Ltd, a centrally administered State-owned enterprise, announced the nationwide expansion of its secure mobile phone recycling and disposal demonstration program to provincial capital cities.

One of China's largest secondhand goods trading platforms — Xianyu, operated by Alibaba Group — has amassed over 600 million registered users, with daily transactions surpassing 1 billion yuan. "China's secondhand goods market is valued at over 1.3 trillion yuan, which shows huge market potential," said Ding Jian, president of Xianyu.

"The secondhand goods economy accelerates the circulation of idle goods, thus unlocking new consumer potential and facilitating the domestic economic cycle," said Li Yongjian, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

"To further promote the circular economy, it is essential not only to strengthen the industry, but also enhance public participation and instill the concept of sustainable development in people's minds," Li said.

Xinhua