China Sets New 2030 Targets for Solid Waste Pollution Control

BEIJING, July 14, 2026 — China has released a new national plan to strengthen solid waste pollution prevention and control during the 2026–2030 period, marking a further step toward systematic waste governance and “zero-waste city” development.

    The plan, jointly issued by six government departments, focuses on illegal dumping, industrial solid waste, hazardous waste, discarded electrical and electronic products, retired new-energy equipment, municipal waste, construction waste and agricultural residues.

    Solid waste management has become a key environmental challenge as China continues to improve air and water quality. According to official data, the country generates more than 11 billion tonnes of solid waste each year, while accumulated industrial solid waste from previous years has reached about 30 billion tonnes.

    Illegal dumping remains one of the most urgent problems. Since a national campaign was launched in June 2025, authorities have investigated 51,000 illegal solid waste dumping and disposal cases. By June 2026, 41,000 cases had been rectified, and 71.22 million tonnes of solid waste had been cleared.

    The new plan sets several measurable goals for 2030. China aims to establish a digital supervision network covering key solid waste sectors, build a number of “zero-waste cities,” and keep the share of hazardous waste disposed of by landfill below 10 percent. It also calls for stronger use of satellite remote sensing, drones and artificial intelligence to monitor dumping sites, tailings ponds, landfills and other high-risk facilities.

    For the solid waste industry, the plan signals a shift from end-of-pipe disposal to full-chain environmental risk control. Waste generation, storage, transportation, utilization and final disposal will all be brought under stricter digital and regulatory supervision.

    Experts say the policy will create new demand for technologies related to industrial solid waste tracking, hazardous waste traceability, landfill risk control, waste-to-resource conversion and low-carbon treatment. As China moves toward higher-quality environmental governance, solid waste treatment is expected to become an increasingly important field for both pollution control and resource recovery.

Photo caption: A solid waste sorting and recycling facility. China’s new 2026–2030 plan calls for stronger full-chain supervision and higher resource recovery in the solid waste sector.