China tightens import of solid waste
china.org.cn / chinagate.cn by Guo Yiming, February 16, 2017 Adjust font size:
Chinese authorities have recently banned the entry of seven kinds of solid waste – which were formerly imported from overseas as raw materials – amid wide concern of environmental pollution.
Molasses, waste from mica and polysilicon and four other kinds of foreign garbage have been put on the import blacklist, according to a joint statement issued by the environmental protection, commerce, reform and development, custom and quality inspection authorities.
As the world's largest waste importer, China takes over 50 million tons of waste every year, which can be recycled and used as raw materials for manufacturing at a lower cost.
"Importing waste can make up for the shortage of domestic resources, thus reducing pollutants and energy consumption," said Li Lei, an official with the Ministry of Environmental Protection.
According to statistics in 2012, China imported a total of 28 million tons of waste paper, which reduced COD emissions by 240,000 tons; the country imported a total of 14 million tons of scrap metal, which reduced emissions of solid waste by about 900 million tons, saved 13 million tons of standard coal, cut 84,000 tons of sulfur dioxide emissions and 11,000 tons of nitrous oxides emissions.
However, there is no such thing as a free lunch.
"Compared to primary resources, solid waste is highly volatile, contains more contaminants and has poorer quality and performance," said Liu Jianguo, an environment professor at Tsinghua University. It costs more to deal with the pollution it caused under higher environmental standards, he added.
Due to the high cost of waste recycling, many developed countries export their "garbage" abroad, even if the practice is banned. They can receive a handsome amount of money from their exports while also avoiding pollution in their own country. "Anti-smuggling of solid waste would be a long and arduous campaign," said Li Lei.
Experts also suggest that the government should beef up support for recycling industries and promote technological advances through related laws and regulations as well as preferential policies.