Project Scope and Relationship to China's Agenda 21

This project seeks to set up highly effective municipal solid waste (MSW) management and information system and select the technologies and equipment that meet China's circumstance to properly treat MSW, so as to improve environmental quality and to promote the construction and sustainable development of society in urban and rural areas. It is based on programme area 10C of China's Agenda 21, and related to the programme areas 19C and 19D.

1. Background

Municipal solid waste (MSW) is one of the major problems that affects China's environmental quality and the sustainable development of China's cities and rural areas. The total quantity of waste and night soil disposed from cities in China reached 112.64 million tons in 1992, while there are only 371 MSW and night soil treatment plants with the total capacity of 71,501 tons per day. Meanwhile, the total quantity of MSW is increasing by 10% per year, leaving 15% of the MSW that cannot be disposed of. The shortage of MSW disposal and treatment facilities and the backward technologies causes a large amount of MSW to be untreated and dumped in the open. As a result, not only have land resources been wasted, but also there is large scale pollution of the atmosphere, water and soil.

According to planning goals, by the end of this century China's non-hazardous treatment rate for MSW and night soil will reach 60%, and 90% of the MSW clean-up and transfer handling will be mechanized or semi-mechanized. Successful completion of this project will help enhance Chins's MSW management and treatment technologies, will promote the construction of MSW treatment facilities and speed up the above goal's realization. This will improve environmental quality and to raise people's living standard and to assure sustainable development of society both in urban and rural areas.

Administrative organizations including the environmental sanitation departments and the municipal environmental sanitation associations in central government and local authorities have been set up, which will organizationally assure the implementation of this project.

The drafting of related laws, regulations and technical standards is proceeding. The central government has issued laws and regulations such as the Regulations for City Appearance and Environmental Sanitation Management and the Methods for Municipal Solid Waste Management, and formulated policies for this industry. Up to date, the Ministry of Construction has formulated and issued 20 technical standards and specifications in the field of environmental sanitation. Personnel training is expanding. Some universities and colleges have started courses on environmental sanitation for training high level management, engineering and technical personnel.

Scientific research projects and demonstration projects are being undertaken. Research institutions in environmental sanitation have been established in major cities throughout the country to carry out research programs on MSW treatment technologies and equipment that suit local circumstances. During the Seventh Five-year Plan period, a number of facilities were established in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hangzhou and other cities for MSW treatment, recovery and use. During the Eighth Five-Year Plan period (1991-1995), the central government has allocated nearly US$ 1.5 million for science and technology programs on MSW composting, land fill, incinerating, recovery and reuse and development of relevant special equipment. Demonstration projects have been also conducted. A national environmental sanitation information network has been basically established and work sarted on information exchange.

International exchanges and cooperation is expanding. China has introduced MSW treatment technologies and equipment from Japan, Denmark, German, US and the UK and used loans from the World Bank to construct MSW treatment facilities in some cities. A number of cities also cooperated with overseas research institutions and consultant organizations. More and more professional personnel are taking part in international technical exchanges and overseas study tours.

MSW management is at very low level. The formulation of relative laws and regulations is still in the initial stage and unsystematic. The current MSW management systems and operational mechanism can not meet the requirements of the market economy system.

The technologies and special equipment for MSW treatment are both at a low level and insufficient in quantity. There is an urgent need to cooperate with developed countries to develop technologies and produce key equipment that meet China's circumstances. Funds for the research and development of MSW treatment technologies and equipment and for the construction of facilities are severely limited, which hampers the improvement of management and treatment. Overseas funds are needed to promote the development, production and construction in the area of MSW management. Personnel in this field need professional training. High level experts, planners and managers are far from sufficient.

2. Objectives

• Long-term Objectives
  • To set up a highly effective MSW management system and information system and select the technologies and equipment that meet China's circumstances to properly treat MSW, so as to improve environmental quality and to promote the construction and sustainable development of society in urban and rural areas.

• Immediate Objectives
  • Establish MSW expert and decision-making systems for the efficient use of manpower, material and financial resources
  • Set up management systems and information systems at different levels and the technical standards and specifications systems regarding the production, collection, transportation and treatment of MSW
  • Develop the typical technical baseline of MSW treatment based on MSW characteristics in China and develop key equipment
  • Develop China's databases on the MSW management and treatment and to set up management and technical training bases

3. Activities

• 3.1 Set up an evaluation and decision-making system for MSW management and treatment.
  • Carry out a survey on MSW in the cities throughout the country
  • Develop MSW forecasting computer systems that meet China's situation
  • Develop computer systems for evaluation and decision- making on MSW management and treatment

• 3.2 Improve the MSW management and develop MSW management systems and operational mechanisms that meet the market economy.
  • Outline a national laws and regulations system framework for MSW management
  • Complete a national technical standards and specifications system in the field of environmental sanitation
  • Map out the macro countermeasures and medium-to-long term strategies for the solution of China's MSW problems
  • Develop MSW management patterns and operational mechanisms that will meet both the country's situation and the market economy by using the experience of developed countries
  • Conduct an experiment in Beijing on the setting up of a MSW management system and operational mechanism that will meet the requirements of market economy

• 3.3 Develop different technical baselines for MSW treatment based on the characteristics of typical MSW in China's cities.
  • Introduce technical know-how, cooperatively develop special equipment and conduct MSW treatment demonstration projects
  • Introduce the technologies and equipment for MSW incineration and thermal energy recovery and reuse
  • Cooperatively conduct research and development of incinerator and grate accessory devices, incineration automatic control and testing instruments
  • Carry out a combination of MSW incineration with electricity- generating demonstration project
  • Introduce engineering technologies and equipment for the landfill gas (LFG) recovery and reuse
  • Cooperatively develop key equipment for the LFG collection, distribution, purification and utilization
  • Carry out a LFG recovery and utilization demonstration project at Tianziling MSW Landfill Site in Hangzhou City
  • Cooperatively develop pre-treatment and treatment equipment such as separator and shredder and sweeping, collection and transportation machines
  • Carry out a demonstration project on MSW separation collection system, optimized transportation system and resource recovery and reuse in Changzhou City, Jiangsu Province

• 3.4 Build capacity for MSW management.
  • Develop China's databases on MSW management and treatment. Based on external cooperation, introduce overseas training equipment and manpower, to set up China MSW management and technical training bases for the training of national management and technical personnel.

  The project will be implemented by the Ministry of Construction.

  The duration of this project is three years.

5. Benefits

According to the objectives in the national environmental sanitation development plan, approximately US$ 230 million are required for treating of 60 million tons of MSW per year and for buying 6000 additional vehicles by the year of 2000. After completion of the project, the results will be used to facilitate the establishment of highly effective MSW management system at different levels and legal systems concerning market behaviour, to promote the popularization of MSW non-harmful treatment, resource recovery and reuse technologies and to improve China's environmental quality. It is estimated that the loss caused by MSW may be decreased by US$ 115 million per year. It is even more significant for the sustainable development of society and labour productivity by the improvement of the general level of the people's health. In a word, the project will bring in tremendous macro economic benefits.