Project Scope and Relationship to China's Agenda 21

This project seeks to formulate and strengthen China's hazardous and toxic materials control laws and regulations and establish criteria for sound environmental management of wastes. It is based on programme area 19A of China's Agenda 21 concerning safe and environmentally sound management of hazardous wastes. It is also linked with programme area 6D concerning information systems for sustainable development and 9B regarding reducing harm from environmental pollution and public hazards to people's health.

1. Background

Large areas of land are currently utilized in China for the uncontrolled disposal of industrial wastes. Approximately 600 million tons of industrial waste of which 50 to 70 percent are hazardous is generated in China annually. Estimates indicate that a total of 5.9 billion tons of industrial waste occupying 540 million m3 have been improperly stored or discarded in recent years. The majority of the waste is simply piled on unprotected areas, which causes leaching to surface and groundwater bodies, polluting the environment and thus damaging the health of surrounding populations. As a result environmental accidents are prevalent. For instance, a chromium residue disposal site in Jinzhou caused ground water pollution in a 12.5 km2 area, as a result, water from 1,800 wells in nine villages is no longer potable.

The production and use of chemicals is developing rapidly in China. More than 30,000 classes of chemicals are now produced in the country, of which many are toxic. During production, transportation, storage and use, many releases and spills occur. For example, in 1993, the toxic chemical storage in Shenzhen exploded, causing significant damage to life, property and the environment.

Management of hazardous and toxic materials in China is still in its early stages, therefore treatment and disposal technologies are primitive and equipment is poor. None of China's current hazardous waste disposal sites meet environmental standards. In part this is due to a lack of funds and management capabilities. Therefore a demonstration project and national technical support and management system for hazardous and toxic materials is proposed. The findings of the demonstration project will be disseminated throughout China to assist in the urgent task of environmental protection, public health and sustainable development.

The "Law of Pollution Prevention and Control of Solid Wastes" has been made a priority item of legislation by the National People's Congress. Research on hazardous waste management, treatment and disposal have been classified as key items in national scientific and technological development plans. Experiments with solid waste declaration and registration, and waste exchanges are being performed by selected units, and standard protocols for chemical testing, toxicity evaluation of synthetic chemicals, laboratory analysis and risk assessment have been formulated. The IRPTC toxic chemical data base has been transferred to China, a national screening procedure for chemicals is currently being established and in certain cities preparations for the construction of engineered sites for hazardous waste disposal is under way. The Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences (CRAES), the Chinese Academy of Sciences Ecological Research Centre (CASERC), and Qinghua University Environmental Engineering Research Institute (EERI) have led the effort in hazardous and toxic materials management and disposal technology research thus the scientific research community has gained substantial experience over the past 10 years.

Trans-boundary shipment of hazardous and toxic materials is a global problem. China is both a big country which generates large amounts of waste and potentially a major producer and exporter of chemicals. Thus its exercises a significant influence on the movement of chemicals internationally. Implementation of this project can assist China with fulfilling its obligations to international conventions and to participate in global environmental cooperation.

Developed nations have been somewhat successful with hazardous and toxic materials management, and the development of waste disposal technologies and equipment. By adopting some of these technologies and management techniques, China will be more capable of controlling pollution from the handling and disposal of hazardous and toxic materials. Thus this effort will assist with sustainable economic development and will contribute to environmental protection in China and the region.

2. Objectives

• Long-term Objectives
  • Formulate and strengthen China's hazardous and toxic materials control laws and regulations, and establish criteria for sound environmental management of wastes.

• Immediate Objectives
  • Develop effective hazardous materials management systems including declaration and registration procedures, licensing and waste exchange and establish hazardous waste analytical and monitoring procedures.
  • Develop China's classification and inventory system for hazardous and toxic materials, compile a list of priority pollutants and formulate standard risk assessment protocols. Establish a technical criteria system for identifying and classifying toxic chemicals, enforcing laws and regulations, and formulating technical specifications. Establish a data base.
  • Identify and evaluate hazardous and toxic materials disposal technologies and equipment suited to China's waste characteristics and conditions. The evaluation should include landfill, incineration, and energy recovery and utilization technologies. Evaluate specialized hazardous materials transportation equipment, and establish a demonstration project to provide a model and information base to be used directly in the construction of regional central disposal sites and incineration plants.

3. Activities

• 3.1 Establish technical support system for hazardous waste management.
  • Formulate laws and regulations, criteria and policies for hazardous waste management.
    • Develop hazardous waste management methods.
    • Formulate management regulations used for controlling trans-boundary shipment of hazardous materials.
    • Formulate safety criteria for land filling, incineration and storage of hazardous wastes.
    • Institute an incentive policy for waste minimization.
    • Establish hazardous waste management systems.
    • Formulate and introduce a hazardous and solid waste declaration and registration system.
    • Institute a hazardous materials storage, transportation, treatment, and disposal licensing system.
    • Establish a demonstration waste exchange program between Guangzhou and Shenyang.
    • Begin immediate waste exchange capability development programs.
    • Develop hazardous waste monitoring and disposal technologies.
    • Evaluate hazardous waste monitoring and disposal technologies and standard methods.
    • Evaluate the environmental and ecological impacts of hazardous waste disposal.
    • Establish a hazardous materials data base.

  The duration of this activity will be two years.

• 3.2 Establish a technical support system for toxic chemicals management.
  • Formulate laws and regulations, criteria and policies for toxic chemicals management.
    • Formulate the law of toxic chemicals management;
    • Formulate regulations for controlling imported chemicals and for importing or exporting toxic chemicals.
    • Formulate management regulations for mono-type toxic chemicals.
    • Establish standard analytical protocols for priority chemicals.
    • Formulate technical criteria and risk assessment guidelines for toxic chemicals management and compile a priority toxic chemicals list.
    • Compile an inventory of toxic chemicals, and a priority toxic chemicals control list;
    • Formulate standard criteria for testing chemicals, waste samples and pretreatment, introduce standard criteria and formats for statistical data management and information processing.
    • Formulate criteria for evaluating environmental risk, and toxicity of synthetic chemicals.

  The duration of this activity will be two years.

• 3.3 Design hazardous waste treatment and disposal demonstration projects.
  • Construct four secure hazardous waste landfills with an annual disposal capacity of 180,000 tons each in Wuxi, Shenzhen, Shenyang and Beijing.
    • Design, construct, monitor, operate and maintain various types of landfills.
    • Development and production of liner systems for landfills.
    • Training for operation and maintenance of secure landfills.

  • Construct a hazardous waste incineration plant with an annual capacity of 3000 tons in Beijing.
    • Develop pretreatment systems, loading equipment, incinerator, secondary combustion chamber, waste heat boiler, exhaust gas monitoring and polishing system for the hazardous waste incineration plant.
    • Provide hazardous waste incineration technical training for operations personnel.
    • Develop storage and transportation equipment for hazardous wastes.

  The duration of this activity will be four years.

  This project will be implemented by the National Environmental Protection Agency (NEPA).

4. Inputs

5. Benefits

This project will introduce hazardous and toxic materials control laws and regulations, anti-pollution criteria and mitigation measures. The capabilities for the management and control of hazardous materials will be developed and regulatory enforcement will be initiated. The establishment of declaration, registration, licensing and wastes exchange for hazardous waste procedures, will result in a reduction in the volume of waste generated in China while providing an incentive for recovery and reuse.

The hazardous waste disposal demonstration project will provide a model, and increased capabilities and experience can be utilized by China in establishing regional central-disposal facilities for hazardous wastes. Dissemination of the experience gained in the demonstration project should produce a significant improvement in waste disposal management strategies resulting in greater awareness, regulation end environmental protection. The toxic chemical management system is designed to improve toxic material handling and management thus reducing environmental pollution and adverse impacts on human health.