context: The PRC produces huge volumes of solid waste each year. Challenges include high-generation intensity, difficulty in tracing waste flows and significant stockpiling risks.
The PRC generates 11 bn tonnes of solid waste per year. Stockpiled industrial solid waste alone exceeds 33 bn tonnes, occupying more than 3,500 sq kms. As air and water quality continue to improve, solid waste pollution prevention and control has become a weak link in efforts to build a 'Beautiful China', notes Li Gao 李高 MEE (Ministry of Ecology and Environment) vice-minister.
The 'Ten measures on solid waste' outline goals for 2030, including
- achieving clear results from special rectification efforts
- controlling historical stockpiles of solid waste
- curbing the incidence of illegal dumping and disposal
- reaching 4.5 bn tonnes of annual utilisation of bulk solid waste
- recycling 510 million tonnes of major renewable resources
- improving overall solid waste governance capacity
Five key areas for rectification are
- illegal dumping and disposal
- environmental pollution risks at municipal solid waste landfills
- construction waste management
- historical legacy solid waste stockpile sites
- comprehensive management of phosphogypsum
Industrial solid waste remains the key focus of prevention and control, according to an MEE official. Nearly 2 bn tonnes of industrial solid waste are stockpiled every year, damaging ecosystems and occupying large amounts of arable land, forests and grasslands.
The measures propose exploring large-scale utilisation, such as underground backfilling, mine pit backfilling, and eco-restoration, to reverse the snowballing growth of industrial solid waste stockpiles.
The era of rapid growth in solid waste generation has passed, according to Chang Jiwen 常纪文 State Council DRC deputy director. Generation reached 105.46 million tonnes in 2023, an increase of about 5 percent y-o-y. In 2024, growth was marginal, with a declining growth rate. The new measures must therefore reflect this new reality.
Reform in management models should not just consider current waste levels and their ecological impact, but also the economic efficiency of the waste disposal market, notes Chang. Especially given the economic pressures faced by many local governments.
For example, due to the real estate sector downturn, demand for recycled construction materials is much lower than before, leading some firms to resort to illegal dumping. In some regions, coal gangue utilisation firms have low technical standards and poor management, leading to significant air pollution, Chang notes.
This shows that large-scale resource recycling should proceed cautiously. For waste that is difficult to utilise or unviable for recycling, landfilling or ecological disposal methods are advisable. Some solid waste can be left for future generations to recycle when economic and technological conditions are more favourable.