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6 in E China sentenced for illegally refining silver

Xinhua, December 15, 2015 Adjust font size:

Six people were given prison terms of up to 16 months for illegally refining silver from waste photographic film in east China's Zhejiang Province, a local court announced Tuesday.

One of the convicted, Zhang, rented a warehouse in Longquan City in October 2014 and bought machines used to recover silver from waste film, Longquan Municipal People's Court said. He sourced the waste film from hospitals and printing firms

Zhang then hired Wu, who had experience of the extraction process, in February 2015, the same month his processing plant began operating, despite it lacking official permission or specialized waste treatment equipment, according to the court.

The other four suspects, with full knowledge that the factory was illegal, sourced and sent waste film to Zhang's plant for silver extraction.

The factory processed more than 24.9 tonnes of waste film before it was closed on March 19, 2015 by the environmental protection department. Longquan Police later seized around 14.5 tonnes of waste film from the site.

The environmental protection bureau said that waste film, which is on the hazardous waste list, and waste and residue not treated properly can all can cause pollution.

Zhang and another five people were found guilty of environmental pollution, according to the court. Their prison sentences ranged from five months' with 10 months probation, to 16 months, and they were fined 10,000 yuan (1,549 U.S. dollars) to 60,000 yuan, the court said. Endi