Building Zero-Waste Cities

The State Council has published an ambitious “zero-waste city” pilot plan that aims to minimize solid waste generation and maximize recycling in urban areas. After the 10-city pilot program ends in 2021, its results will be used to guide expansion of the initiative.

The pilot plan aims for the minimum generation, maximum utilization, and safe disposal of solid waste. Use of landfills will be minimized to reduce the environmental impact of waste.

The initiative will establish an index system for “no-waste cities” and an institutional and technical system for the management of such cities by 2020. By that time, it’s estimated that the pilot cities will have made marked progress, with almost zero growth of industrial waste storage and full use of agricultural waste.

With a decrease in waste generation and an increase in its utilization, hazardous waste will be well controlled in pilot cities and no more waste will be dumped illegally. There will also be a group of supporting waste recycling enterprises established by 2020, according to the plan.