China has tightened its supervision over importation of solid waste, with the recent introduction of the Regulation on Managing Import of Solid Waste.

The regulation has banned dumping and treatment of solid waste from overseas in China, and transferring hazardous solid waste via China. It has also prohibited imports of solid waste that cannot be used as raw materials or pose a serious risk to the environment.

The regulation was jointly issued by the Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP), Ministry of Commerce, National Development and Reform Commission, General Administration of Customs and General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, according to a notice the MEP posted on its official website on Wednesday.

According to the notice, China imported over 40 million tonnes of solid waste in 2010 which could be used as raw materials, including waste paper, waste plastic, waste steel and iron and other waste metal.

The regulation also provides that enterprises engaged in processing imported solid waste should conduct daily monitoring to prevent pollution being generated during the processing of solid waste.

[editor hannah]