According to the newly revised law for disposal and treatment of solid wastes pollution which is effective on April 1, defendants accused of causing damages with solid wastes pollution are obliged to provide evidence to prove innocent. In the old law before the revision, it is plaintiffs that are responsible for giving evidence to claim indemnity.
Wastes illegally imported from foreign sources for any purpose, dumping, storing, disposal or as raw materials, will be rejected by the customs and fines up to 1 million yuan will be imposed.
Those who are found guilty will face penalty by the criminal law. If the importer in such a case cannot be identified, the carrier is held responsible.
An official with the State Environmental Protection Administration warned against deteriorating solid pollution and wastes disposal crisis in some developed area due to tight land supply.
Industrial solid wastes grow 7 percent while urban life produces solid wastes at an increase rate of 4 percent annually.
However, the disposal and treatment of solid wastes fail to cope with the situation. In urban areas, the bio-safety disposal has been applied on only 20 percent of living garbage due to the poor standards and management.
In addition, the disposal facilities for dangerous wastes are badly equipped. Those wastes are mostly used inefficiently or are just set by. This is not up to the standard of safe disposal.
From 1996 to 2002, nearly 264 million tons of dangerous wastes had been accumulated in storage.
In rural areas, pollution caused by solid wastes is increasing alarming. The livestock husbandry sector is damaging the environment seriously, which is made worse by poor disposal of living garbage in rural areas.
What's more, new wastes from discarded electrical appliances have become another major source of pollution.
(China Daily April 2, 2005)
