The current situation of solid waste generation and its environmental contamination in China |
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Authors: | Wei Wang Jianguo Jiang Xuelong Wu Shunwen Liang |
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Affiliation: | (1) Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, PR China Tel. +86-10-62782910; Fax +86-10-62789748 e-mail: solid@tsinghua.edu.en, CN;(2) Environment and Sanitary Management Department, Shenzhen City, PR China, CN |
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Abstract: | In China, controlling environmental pollution resulting from solid waste (SW) and hazardous waste (HW) has become one of the
most pressing tasks in the field of environmental engineering. It is reported that the annual generation of industrial solid
waste (ISW) in China exceeded 0.6 billion tons in the 1990s, and is increasing every year. Although ISW management has been
strengthened in recent years, about 40% of SW is put in uncontrolled landfill without appropriate treatment. According to
statistics from the national Environmental Protection Agency, the cumulative ISW uncontrolled landfill in China had reached
6.6 billion tons by the end of 1995, occupying around 55 000 hectares of land. Although some major uncontrolled landfills
were constructed, nonetheless groundwater contamination resulted from the use of low-standard liners and poor management.
Furthermore, about 20 million tons of ISW was discharged into the environment illegally, and a third of this waste was discharged
directly into water bodies, making ISW one of the greatest pollution sources for surface water and ground water. Environmental
pollution accidents resulting from SW occur about 100 times a year in China, and environmental issues frequently arise because
of ISW pollution. The practices of SW management, treatment, and disposal started relatively late in China, and for a long
time the management of SW pollution has received little attention compared with water and air pollution management. China
faces problems such as the insufficiency of management laws and regulations, insufficient investment, inadequate treatment
and disposal technology, and a lack of qualified technicians. At present, most treatment and disposal technology cannot meet
the requests for solid waste pollution control. In order to protect, restore, and improve environmental quality in China and
to realize sustainable development, the safe management and disposal of solid and hazardous wastes is a pressing challenge.
In recent years, much attention has been paid to SW management in China, and investment to develop management and treatment
technologies has increased. In 1995, the Law for Solid Waste Pollution Protection was issued, and work on solid waste treatment
and disposal began to be legally managed. SW treatment and disposal facilities have been constructed, and now operate in some
large and medium-sized cities. In particular, rapid improvements have been seen in ISW recycling, collection, and disposal
of municipal solid waste and regional HW management. All the figures in this paper are from 1995, and represent the situation
in China in that year.
Received: April 18, 2000 / Accepted: May 15, 2000 |
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Keywords: | Solid waste (SW) Industrial solid waste (ISW) Hazardous waste (HW) Municipal solid waste (MSW) Recycling Open dumping Disposal Uncontrolled landfill |
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