China to form new waste disposal regulations
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The central government will begin collecting fees for waste disposal and introduce a compulsory recycling system for packaging sometime in the next few years.
Businesses and individual households must pay for waste disposal at a rate set by the local government. The rate will be determined by the cost of garbage disposal and the level of residents' income.
The government also hopes to reduce the amount of wastes produced from the production, circulation and use of products by implementing a recycling system for packaging. The mandatory system will limit "over-packaging," while the service industry will be encouraged to use recyclable materials.
Waste treatment facilities will also be required to use deeper landfills to reduce the amount of land used and pollution. Currently, Chinese landfills are shallow, single-layer holes, which increase the amount of land needed to hold wastes.
Authorities will examine the facilities annually and require upgrades for those that fail to meet standards, which have not been set. Major cities, such as Beijing and Shanghai, are expected to treat all wastes by 2015 so that they do not pollute the environment. By 2030, all cities are expected to treat all of their wastes, bringing waste disposal up to the average level of developed countries.
