On October 22, during a news conference in Beijing, Guo Yijun, the Director of the Solid Waste and Chemicals Management Department of China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment, addressed the ongoing efforts to combat illegal activities related to hazardous waste. Guo highlighted that various levels of ecological and environmental agencies in China have made significant strides in cracking down on hazardous waste crimes, successfully curbing the rampant illegal transfer and dumping of hazardous materials.

According to Guo, the Chinese authorities conduct an average of 100,000 inspections and rectifications of environmental risk issues every year, resulting in a notable improvement in the standardization of environmental management practices. Since 2020, there has been an intensified crackdown on illegal hazardous waste activities. By the first half of this year, these efforts had led to the handling of over 17,000 administrative penalty cases related to hazardous waste and the referral of 4,215 criminal cases to law enforcement, effectively mitigating the trend of illegal dumping.

By the end of 2023, China’s capacity for centralized hazardous waste treatment and disposal is expected to exceed 200 million tons annually, reflecting a 50% increase since 2020. The generation of hazardous waste in 2023 is anticipated to be around 120 million tons, suggesting that the treatment capacity is well-aligned with the waste production levels. Meanwhile, the disposal capacity for medical waste has reached 2.86 million tons per year, an increase of nearly 80% compared to pre-pandemic levels, achieving a 100% safe disposal rate for such waste.

While Guo noted that the current disposal capacity for general hazardous waste is adequate, he acknowledged that more needs to be done regarding the treatment of specific categories like fly ash. To address this gap, he mentioned that major projects are underway to enhance disposal technologies and capacities for these special hazardous wastes.

Looking ahead, Guo reaffirmed the commitment to stringent environmental risk controls as a priority, emphasizing the importance of advancing hazardous waste management. This includes continuous real-time oversight of hazardous waste throughout its lifecycle and ensuring that transfer tracking is always traceable, to prevent situations where hazardous waste falls out of control or regulatory oversight.