County in E China's Anhui transforms scrapped cars into thriving circular economy

In the recycling workshop of Chuzhou Hongwu Scrapped Car Recycling, Dismantling and Utilization Co., Ltd. in Fengyang county, Chuzhou city, east China's Anhui Province, workers were dismantling scrapped cars, extracting valuable resources such as steel, rubber, plastic, and metals. This eco-friendly process ensured that every part of the scrapped cars was put to good use.

Photo shows copper products under processing at a workshop of Anhui Tuomeiwei Copper Industry Group Co., Ltd., located in Fengyang county, Chuzhou city, east China's Anhui Province. (People's Daily Online/Zhou Kun)

The company is located inside the circular economy industrial park of the Economic Development Zone in Fengyang. The industrial park has established a comprehensive industry chain that extends from car recovery and auction to component regeneration and material reuse.

Photo shows dismantled automobile engine parts. (People's Daily Online/Zhou Kun)

Chuzhou Hongwu Scrapped Car Recycling, Dismantling and Utilization Co., Ltd. processes over 40,000 scrapped cars annually, achieving a utilization rate of over 80 percent, according to He Renguo, head of the company.

By carefully dismantling and sorting the cars, the company maximizes the value of each part. "A scrapped car that is bought for 3,000 yuan (about $423) per tonne can be sold for 5,000 yuan per tonne after meticulous processing," He said.

Photo shows dismantled automobile parts. (People's Daily Online/Zhou Kun)

To achieve a circular economy, dismantling and sorting are just the first steps; the crucial part is how to utilize and remanufacture the materials.

Anhui Tuomeiwei Copper Industry Group Co., Ltd., located less than a kilometer away, is the destination for most of the copper from scrapped cars dismantled by Chuzhou Hongwu Scrapped Car Recycling, Dismantling and Utilization Co., Ltd.

In the company's exhibition hall, refined brass, after smelting and processing, shines like new. The waste copper pipes are transformed into products such as copper rods and copper bars, which can be sold separately or further processed into higher value-added finished products.

"Currently, we produce around 500 tonnes of copper products daily. These recycled copper products can be sold for 70,000 yuan per tonne, further enhancing the value of waste resources," said Zheng Zhongyuan, deputy general manager of operations at Anhui Tuomeiwei Copper Industry Group Co., Ltd.

Photo shows scrapped cars awaiting the dismantling process. (People's Daily Online/Zhou Kun)

In September 2021, Anhui Tuomeiwei Copper Industry Group Co., Ltd. relocated from Changzhou, east China's Jiangsu Province to Fengyang. In just two years, its operating sales revenue exceeded 10 billion yuan, becoming a leading enterprise in the circular economy industrial park.

Today, 48 companies have settled in the circular economy industrial park, with 58 projects under construction. In 2023, the operating sales revenue of the circular economy industrial park exceeded 27 billion yuan.

Green development is the foundation of high-quality development, and new productive forces are themselves green productive forces. As numerous large-scale projects have come to Fengyang Economic Development Zone's circular economy industrial park, they are helping to achieve a scientific industrial chain, scaled resource utilization, advanced technology and equipment, and writing a "green song" of high-quality development in the circular economy.

A worker dismantles scrapped cars. (People's Daily Online/Zhou Kun)