Hazardous landfills with chemical waste

Editor's note: Three reclamation sites in Yuncheng county, East China's Shandong province, are reportedly dumping construction waste, industrial waste and even chemical waste in landfills in violation of relevant laws and regulations. China Daily reporter Wu Yixue reports:

According to a Beijing News report, the enterprises in charge of the reclamation sites, having a total landfill area of more than 100 mu (1,500 hectares), contact waste production enterprises across China through WeChat or other social media forums.

The waste generators are "customers" as they have to pay to get rid of the waste, which is of use to the reclamation authorities. The "customer" pays 2,000 yuan ($285.17) to get rid of a truck of ordinary waste and as high as 50,000 yuan for a truckload of chemical waste. The "customer" also hires trucks to transport the waste or household garbage to the designated reclamation area, where reclamation authorities unload it and dump it in the landfill.

Once covered with soil about two meters deep, the reclaimed land looks like any other land, but hidden a few meters underneath are large volumes of plastic, paper residue, household garbage and even liquid waste of unknown nature. The unloading and filling up takes place under the cover of darkness.

The report said that at least 1,000 truckloads of waste weighing more than 10,000 metric tons was found dumped under one of the three reclamation sites.

According to State regulation, reclamation refers to measures taken to make land damaged by production or construction activities, or natural disasters, available for use again. It usually involves filling up of pits and leveling, but the use of heavy metal pollutants or other toxic substances for the purpose of filling is clearly prohibited.

The State law on the prevention and control of environmental pollution by solid waste has a full article dealing with disposal of hazardous wastes. It stipulates that enterprises engaged in the collection, storage and disposal of hazardous wastes should first apply for an operation license, and the inter-provincial transfer of hazardous wastes has to be approved by the environmental departments in both provinces.

The law says that even general solid waste should not be used as backfilling material for reclamation projects. Reclamation should basically involve soil and vegetation, and the use of no waste should be permitted in principle. If hazardous waste is used, it should be treated like a crime according to environmental laws.

The authorities should immediately take action and launch a probe into the Shandong case, impose severe penalties on the enterprises and individuals involved and, if necessary, bring them to justice.