A key focus area in the comprehensive use of resources in China, bulk solid waste consists of seven different types[1]: coal gangue, fly ash, tailings, industrial by-product gypsum, slag, construction waste and crop straw waste. By 2019 China’s bulk solid waste comprehensive recycling rate had reached 55%. Of particular note, comprehensive utilization rates of 70%, 78% and 70% were achieved for coal gangue, fly ash and industrial by-product gypsum, respectively. At present China’s cumulative bulk solid waste stockpile is around 60 billion tons, and approximately 3 billion tons are added each year[2].
With the 14th Five-Year Plan, the Central Government made it clear that the push towards developing a circular economy is a major priority. Circular industrial resource systems and systems for the recycling of waste substances are to be constructed, and the comprehensive utilization of bulk solid waste as a resource has been made a key focus area. Beginning in 2021, the 14th Five-Year Plan for Circular Economy Development, Guiding Opinions on the Comprehensive Utilization of Bulk Solid Waste during the 14th Five-Year Plan, Notice on the Demonstration of Comprehensive Utilization of Bulk Solid Waste and other such policies and plans have been introduced one after another by relevant Central Government ministries and commissions, providing tangible targets and tasks applicable to aspects such as the innovative development of comprehensive utilization technology for bulk solid waste, green development in the waste industry, and bulk solid waste resource utilization rates.
1. Major Policies, Regulations and Standards released in Recent Years
The below table provides an overview of major policies, regulations, and standards released by the Chinese Central Government and regional governments since 2021 on the comprehensive utilization of bulk industrial solid waste.
Table 1 Major Comprehensive Utilization of Bulk Industrial Solid Waste Policies Post-2021
| Authority | Document Name | Issue Date (mm/dd/yyyy) |
Issuing Authority |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central Government | Guiding Opinions on the Comprehensive Utilization of Bulk Solid Waste during the 14th Five-Year Plan | 03/18/2021 | NDRC and 8 other Ministries and Commissions |
| Notice on the Demonstration of Comprehensive Utilization of Bulk Solid Waste | 05/30/2021 | General Office of the NDRC | |
| 14th Five-Year Plan for Circular Economy Development | 07/01/2021 | NDRC | |
| Work Plan for the Building of ‘Zero-Waste Cities’ during the ‘14th Five-Year Plan’ Period | 12/10/2021 | Ministry of Ecology and Environment, National Development and Reform Commission and 17 other Ministries | |
| Implementation Plan on Accelerating the Comprehensive Utilization of Industrial Resources | 01/27/2022 | Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and 7 other Ministries and Commissions | |
| Guiding Opinions on Accelerating the Construction of Urban and Rural Environmental Infrastructure | 02/11/2022 | NDRC and 3 other Ministries and Commissions | |
| Regional Governments | Hebei Province: Implementation Plan for the Comprehensive Utilization of Bulk Solid Waste during the 14th Five-Year Plan | 07/12/2021 | Hebei Provincial Development and Reform Commission and 9 other Departments |
| Guizhou Province: Plan for the Comprehensive Utilization of Bulk Industrial Solid Waste during the 14th Five-Year Plan | 11/02/2021 | Guizhou Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology | |
| Chongqing City: Implementation Plan for the Comprehensive Utilization of Bulk Solid Waste during the 14th Five-Year Plan | 05/10/2022 | Chongqing Municipal Development and Reform Commission and 9 other Departments | |
| Hainan Province: Development Plan for the Comprehensive Utilization of Bulk Industrial Solid Waste (2022-2025) | 06/28/2022 | Hainan Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology |
1.1. The 14th Five-Year Plan: Major Targets and Tasks for the Comprehensive Utilization of Bulk Solid Waste
Released on March 12, 2021, the Outline of the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) for National Economic and Social Development and Vision 2035 of the People’s Republic of China clarifies the general requirements for ‘strengthening the comprehensive utilization of bulk solid waste’ during the 14th Five-Year Plan. The Outline was immediately followed on March 18, 2021 with the Guiding Opinions on the Comprehensive Utilization of Bulk Solid Waste during the 14th Five-Year Plan (jointly issued by the NDRC are 9 other Ministries and Commissions), which provided quantified development targets for the comprehensive utilization of bulk solid waste. The NDRC then proceeded to issue Notice on the Demonstration of Comprehensive Utilization of Bulk Solid Waste on May 30 of the same year, clarifying the targets and tasks proposed in demonstrations of comprehensive utilization of bulk solid waste in the above Opinions.
NDRC and 9 other Ministries: Guiding Opinions on the Comprehensive Utilization of Bulk Solid Waste during the 14th Five-Year Plan (March 18, 2021)
- Major Targets
By 2025: To continuously increase levels of comprehensive utilization of bulk solid waste with a focus on coal gangue, fly ash, tailings, mineral associated waste, slag, industrial by-product gypsum, construction waste, crop straw waste etc. while continuously improving industrial comprehensive utilization systems in order to achieve a yearly utilization volume of approx. 4 billion tons; to achieve a comprehensive utilization rate of 60% for new bulk solid waste while depleting stockpiles of bulk solid waste; to break through bottlenecks in key technology and establish an innovative system for bulk solid waste comprehensive utilization technology one step at a time; and to gradually complete a system for policies and regulations, standards, and statistics in order to fundamentally improve systems for the comprehensive utilization of bulk solid waste;
By 2030: to achieve a yearly utilization volume of approx. 4.5 billion tons. - Major Tasks
- Increase Utilization Rates for Bulk Solid Waste Resources. Propose developmental policy for recovery & retrieval and utilization models for all kinds of bulk solid waste, with a focus on coal gangue, fly ash, tailings (mineral associated waste) slag, industrial by-product gypsum, construction waste and crop straw waste.
- Drive Green Development in the Comprehensive Utilization of Bulk Solid Waste. Drive a green transformation of the waste industry and reduce waste at the source; drive green manufacturing in the recycling and reuse industry and strengthen procedural systems; strengthen standardized disposal of bulk solid waste.
- Drive Innovative Development in the Comprehensive Utilization of Bulk Solid Waste. Innovate comprehensive utilization models for bulk solid waste, key comprehensive utilization technology, and collaborative utilization mechanisms and management methods.
- Encourage Right-Minded Attitudes for the Efficient Use of Resources. Promote: leadership behaviors in backbone enterprises (cultivate 50 backbone enterprises that boast excellent overall ability, advanced technology, and a large market share), comprehensive utilization base construction (build 50 comprehensive utilization of bulk solid waste bases and 50 comprehensive utilization of industrial resources bases), market comprehensive utilization products for resources, and increase bulk solid waste system administration capacity.
General Office of the NDRC: Notice on the Demonstration of Comprehensive Utilization of Bulk Solid Waste (May 30, 2021)
In order to further implement the Guiding Opinions on the Comprehensive Utilization of Bulk Solid Waste during the 14th Five-Year Plan, the Notice clarifies details regarding the recommended scope, conditions, work procedures, mid-to-late term monitoring and other organizational aspects applicable to the construction of comprehensive utilization of bulk solid waste demonstration bases and backbone enterprises.
1.2 Bulk Solid Waste Comprehensive Utilization Models and Technological Innovations
Increasing the comprehensive utilization rate of bulk solid waste is integral to the reduction of bulk solid waste stockpiles. As such, the Chinese government has introduced multiple policies to guide and support innovative development in comprehensive utilization models for bulk solid waste and utilization technology.
NDRC and 9 other Ministries: Guiding Opinions on the Comprehensive Utilization of Bulk Solid Waste during the 14th Five-Year Plan (March 18, 2021)
The Opinions issue requirements for innovative comprehensive utilization models for bulk solid waste. Specific examples include: promote “underground + surface backfilling with coal gangue” in the coal industry to reduce gangue; establish a “recover steps + restore the ecosystem + seal for protection” system in the mining industry to promote the construction of green mines; promote “solid waste never leaves” practices in the iron and steel industry to enhance fully-quantitative utilization; and promote the “on-site recycling + off-site disposal” of construction waste in the construction industry to improve utilization efficiency. The Opinions emphasize the need to promote collaborative utilization of many types of bulk solid waste across many industries according to local conditions by creating a new replicable and promotable model for developing comprehensive utilization of bulk solid waste.
Ministry of Ecology and Environment and other Ministries: Work Plan for the Building of “Zero-Waste Cities” during the “14th Five-Year Plan” Period (December 10, 2021)
The Work Plan provides clear requirements for driving utilization of bulk industrial solid waste at scale in the retrieval of valuable components, the production of building materials, the construction of roads, ecological restoration, soil management, and other such areas. At the same time, the Work Plan also lists the proportion of storage yards that have completed comprehensive renovations of bulk industrial solid waste storage sites (including tailings ponds) as a zero-waste city construction indicator in order to facilitate the standardized management of bulk industrial solid waste storage yards.
Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and other Ministries: Implementation Plan on Accelerating the Comprehensive Utilization of Industrial Resources (January 27, 2022)
The Implementation Plan provides for the utilization of bulk industrial solid waste at scale in valuable component retrieval, building material production, municipal infrastructure construction, underground backfilling, ecological restoration, soil management, and other such areas. It also requires focus be placed on increasing the level of high-value utilization in the production of fiber materials, glass-ceramics, ultra-fine fillers, low-carbon cement, solid waste-based high-performance concrete, prefabricated parts, energy-saving building materials etc.
1.3 Localized Bulk Solid Waste Comprehensive Utilization Plans
Now that policies and standards issued by National ministries have illuminated the path ahead, regional governments are expected to formulate and introduce their own development and implementation plans for the comprehensive utilization of bulk industrial solid waste during the 14th Five-Year Plan based on local conditions.
Hebei Provincial Development and Reform Commission and 9 other Ministries: Hebei Province: Implementation Plan for the Comprehensive Utilization of Bulk Solid Waste during the 14th Five-Year Plan (July 12, 2021)
The Implementation Plan establishes targets with the understanding that high-quality development of new practices to facilitate the intensive and efficient comprehensive utilization of bulk solid waste. Some of the targets it hopes to achieve are a standardized disposal rate of 100% for tailings, coal gangue, fly ash, slag, and industrial by-product gypsum with a comprehensive utilization rate of 95% for general industrial waste across the province; a minimum utilization rate of 40% for construction waste-as-a-resource (minimum 55% in Xiong’an New Area) with a minimum comprehensive utilization rate of 80%; and the full utilization of crop straws throughout the province, all by 2025. The Implementation Plan also requires that more new technologies and applications for bulk solid waste are pioneered; that construction waste disposal behaviors are standardized and the construction waste recycling and utilization system improved; that the ability to utilize crop straws as a resource is increased; and that both the innovation of comprehensive utilization technology, models, and mechanisms for bulk solid waste and the construction of bulk solid waste comprehensive utilization bases are accelerated.
Guizhou Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology: Guizhou Province: Plan for the Comprehensive Utilization of Bulk Industrial Solid Waste during the 14th Five-Year Plan (November 2, 2021)
The Plan aims to achieve the following by 2025: a significantly increased capacity for the comprehensive utilization of bulk industrial solid waste across the province, the constant expansion of utilization scales, a province-wide bulk industrial solid waste comprehensive utilization volume increase of approx. 24.9 million tons from 2020, and a comprehensive utilization rate of 70% for bulk industrial solid waste.
The Plan provides direction on the comprehensive utilization of bulk solid waste such as industrial by-product gypsum (phosphogypsum/desulfurization gypsum), spent grain, bauxite residue, and electrolytic manganese residue. It also encourages the prefabricated parts field to implement a pilot for ‘tailings and waste rock + fly ash + industrial by-product gypsum’ manufacturing of prefabricated parts, as well as the further promotion of the construction of two national-level industrial resource comprehensive utilization bases in Fuquan and Weng’an.
Chongqing Municipal Development and Reform Commission and 10 other Departments: Chongqing City: Implementation Plan for the Comprehensive Utilization of Bulk Solid Waste during the 14th Five-Year Plan (May 10, 2022)
By 2025, the Implementation Plan aims to achieve: a city-wide utilization rate of 80% for bulk solid waste as a resource, an urban collection rate of 95% for construction waste, a harm-free disposal rate of 95%, a utilization rate of 65% for construction waste as a resource, a comprehensive utilization of 90% for crop straws, quality development in the bulk solid waste comprehensive utilization industry, and the basic establishment of a new framework.
The Implementation Plan also provides opinions on the comprehensive utilization of slag, industrial by-product gypsum, construction waste and crop straw waste etc. throughout the 14th Five-Year Plan. Requiring in-depth green development on the comprehensive utilization of bulk solid waste at each of the beginning, middle and end stages of the life cycle, the Implementation Plan lays out a complete circular manufacturing chain for parts from production, manufacturing, sales, recovery, disassembly, and bulk solid waste resource utilization with a focus on the car and electronics industries while promoting multi-industry collaborative development models such as the fully-quantified ‘solid waste never leaves’ utilization model in the iron and steel industry.
Hainan Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology: Hainan Province: Development Plan for the Comprehensive Utilization of Bulk Industrial Solid Waste (2022-2025) (June 28, 2022)
The Plan lays out the following to be achieved by 2025: a province-wide decrease in the total amount of bulk industrial solid wastes such as desulfurization gypsum, green mud, sludge, and used motive power batteries and a significant increase in their comprehensive utilization levels and a comprehensive utilization rate of 80% for new bulk industrial solid waste; focused efforts to establish an industrial belt for the comprehensive utilization of industrial solid waste relying on the Western Industrial Economic Corridor; and the construction of a Changjiang Bulk Industrial Solid Waste Comprehensive Utilization Center and Yangpu Economic Development Zone Industrial Solid Waste Recycling Center.
2. Future Policy Direction
- Fine-tuning the Legal System
The present lack of specialist comprehensive utilization of resource laws in China has resulted in a lack of legal basis and support for the comprehensive utilization of bulk solid waste. In an effort to address this problem, China included a Comprehensive Utilization of Resources Law to the legislative planning of the 13th National People’s Congress Standing Committee in 2018. The NDRC took the initiative to formally begin legislative work on the Comprehensive Utilization of Resources Law in 2021. Updates from the NDRC indicate that the initial draft is complete, and the proposal is now undergoing further revisions. - Continued Acceleration of Related Work
Related work will continue to be accelerated due to the current significant gap between China’s actual capacity and level of comprehensive bulk solid waste utilization and the targets set out in policies such as the Guiding Opinions on the Comprehensive Utilization of Bulk Solid Waste during the 14th Five-Year Plan. - Consistent Publications regarding the Comprehensive Utilization of Bulk Solid Waste Plans
China is aiming to reach a carbon peak in 2030 and then become carbon neutral by 2060. This means that the win-win ‘reduced carbon + recycling’ nature of comprehensive bulk solid waste utilization is earning the topic a good deal of attention. As such, going forward, it is expected that more and more regional governments will introduce proposals and implementation plans for local comprehensive utilization of bulk solid waste.
[1] Definition Source: Policy Interpretation, National Development and Reform Commission, March 2021
[2] Data Source: Guiding Opinions on the Comprehensive Utilization of Bulk Solid Waste during the 14th Five-Year Plan, NDRC, March 2021
