Supervision, disposal of hazardous waste to be strengthened

China will strengthen supervision over hazardous waste and enhance effective disposals, according to a circular released by the General Office of the State Council on May 25.

By the end of 2022, the supervision system and mechanism for hazardous waste will be further improved, harmless treatment rate of medical waste in urban built-up areas at county level and above should be more than 99 percent, and a regulatory system covering the whole process of hazardous waste disposal should be established by the end of 2025.

Regional joint prevention and control mechanism for handling the environmental risks of hazardous waste will be established in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, Yangtze River Delta, Pearl River Delta, and Chengdu-Chongqing regions, among others, by the end of 2022.

An information system for environmental management of hazardous waste should be improved.

To control hazardous waste from the source, efforts should be made to improve the hazardous waste identification system, revise the national catalog of hazardous waste on a continuing basis, and carry out environmental impact assessments for new projects.

Also, production processes and equipment that can reduce the amount and harmfulness of industrial hazardous waste will be further developed and promoted.

The circular also urged efforts to promote the specialization of collection, shipment and storage of hazardous waste. Domestic waste classification will be enhanced, and centralized collection and storage of hazardous waste will be piloted in industrial parks.

A collaborative supervision and joint law enforcement mechanism should be established to strengthen supervision on waste hazardous chemicals.

Disposal capacity of special categories of hazardous waste will be improved by establishing incineration bases and landfill sites. Also, effective disposal of medical waste within urban areas will be enhanced.

High-quality development of hazardous waste recycling and disposal industries will be promoted, and the capacity of new facilities for central incineration and disposal of hazardous waste should be greater than 30,000 metric tons per year.

The charging system for disposal of hazardous waste and medical waste will be improved, and an environmental protection tax policy will be implemented.

Advanced applicable technology for prevention and control of environmental pollution will be promoted.

The mechanism for emergency disposal of medical waste and hazardous waste, as well as medical waste during major epidemics, will be improved.

Risk prevention and control, professional supervision personnel, supporting laws and regulations, and relevant basic research are also stressed in the document.