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On October 24, 2021, the Chinese Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE) issued the "Notice on the Management of Industrial Solid Waste Discharge Permits (Draft)" (hereinafter referred to as the Notice) for public consultation. The deadline for comments is November 4, 2021.
By now, there has not been a unified technical system to include industrial solid waste in the pollution discharge permit system. Nearly 40% of the published technical specifications for pollutant discharge permits do not include management requirements for industrial solid waste, and the remaining standards have inconsistent management requirements for it. To implement the requirements in the Law of the People's Republic of China on the Prevention and Control of Environmental Pollution by Solid Wastes that units producing industrial solid waste shall obtain a pollutant discharge permit, the Notice was formulated by clarifying its application scope, implementation standard, implementation method, permit content, etc., so as to ensure the orderly issuance of the pollutant discharge permit.
Application Scope
It applies to waste generators who should obtain a discharge permit in accordance with the Classified Management Catalog of Fixed Pollution Sources Subject to Pollutant Discharge Permit.
Implementation Standard
The HJ XXX-202X Technical Specification for Application and Issuance of Pollutant Permit- Industrial Solid Waste management(Trial) (hereinafter referred to as the Technical Specification) is under development (ChemLinked news). Once published, the specific provisions for the management of industrial solid waste in 45 industrial standards will be abolished, e.g. HJ 853-2017 Technical Specification for Application and Issuance of Pollutant Permit- Petrochemical Industry.
Implementation Method
Waste producers who apply for a pollutant discharge permit for the first time after the release of this Notice shall comply with relevant standards, with environmental management requirements for industrial solid waste specified in the permit.
Enterprises that have already obtained a pollutant discharge permit before the issuance of the Notice do not need to apply for the modification within its validity period, while requirements for industrial solid waste shall be added in the permit when the validity period expires or the permit needs to be modified due to other reasons.
Permit Content
When applying for, renewing, or mortifying pollution discharge permits, waste producers shall submit application materials in the national pollution discharge permit management information platform. The pollutant discharge permit issuance department shall specify in the copy of the pollutant discharge permit the form of basic information for industrial solid waste, the information form of self-storage facility, self-utilization facility, and self-disposal facility, the ledger form and the execution report form, as well as the technical requirements for industrial solid waste pollution prevention and control.
To better guarantee the implementation of the requirements under this notice, provincial eco-environmental departments will strengthen the guidance on the issuance of pollution permits. Starting from January 2022, municipal eco-environmental departments shall report their work progress before the 30th of each month on a monthly basis to the MEE. The supervision and enforcement of pollution discharge permits will also be strengthened, and waste generators that fail to carry out industrial solid waste pollution prevention and control as required will be punished accordingly.
