China plans crackdown on illegal chemical dumping

Environment ministry says all provinces must put monitoring systems in place over next six years

Chemical industry has come under scrutiny after a blast at a plant in Jiangsu province killed 78 people

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A blast at a chemical plant in Jiangsu province killed 78 people. Photo: Reuters

Published: 2:50pm, 21 Oct 2019Updated: 2:50pm, 21 Oct 2019

China will step up efforts to end the illegal dumping of hazardous chemical waste over the next six years, raising its monitoring and treatment capacity and blacklisting violators, the environment ministry said on Monday.

China’s chemical sector came under heavy scrutiny this year after a factory explosion in the province of Jiangsu killed 78 people. The blast triggered a nationwide safety crackdown as well as a plan to relocate 80 per cent of producers of toxic chemicals away from residential areas.

All regions must create a comprehensive hazardous chemical monitoring system by the end of 2025 and ensure they have sufficient treatment capacity, the ecology and environment ministry said in its notice on Monday.

Hazardous waste treatment will also be one of the criteria in a new corporate environmental credit system that will lead to public blacklisting and denial of financing for firms that violate rules, it added.

The new measures should come into force in the Yangtze delta next year. Photo: Shutterstock

Local authorities will also have to draw up plans to build integrated waste disposal facilities and set up funding mechanisms for transfers of hazardous waste.

To improve waste management, local governments will also be encouraged to set up more integrated “industrial bases” in sectors such as petrochemicals and non-ferrous metals.