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Increasing Normalized Collection Rate, Accelerating Waste Lead Accumulator Pollution Control
Ministry of Ecological Environment and other 8 ministries recently co-released Action Plan on Waste Lead Accumulator Pollution Control, where they include Waste Lead Accumulator Pollution Control into battle against pollution control. Package measures are made to contain environment pollution caused by illegal disposal of waste lead accumulator, so as to promote sound progress of waste lead accumulator industry.
70% of waste lead accumulators can be recycled. However, illegal collection and disposal will not only hinder recycling but also jeopardize environment.
Waste lead accumulator has been included into national hazardous waste list. According to Measures for the Administration of Business Licenses for Hazardous Waste, organs and units that handle collection, storage and disposal of hazardous waste must be granted business licenses for hazardous waste. According to information from practitioners, from 2011 to 2014, our country carried out “l(fā)ead governance” storm and achieved improvements in problems like too many renewable lead companies, too small scale and low industrial concentration. In recent years, with the rise of lead price, small renewable lead companies are rebounding and “underground production” are getting even more concealed.
As a matter of fact, environmental pollution cases caused by illegal disposal of waste lead accumulator happen all the time. In last September, the biggest waste lead accumulator pollution case in Jiangsu Province was prosecuted. It is known that as of the crime, within just one year, parties involved including Chen had illegally bought and dismantled waste lead accumulators 18600 tons and had refined lead ingot of 9349 tons, involved amount of money being more than RMB 100 million and illegal profit being more than RMB 10 million. It is identified that environment governance cost is at least RMB 20 million.
Responsible person of Ministry of Ecological Environment told us that due to high difficulty and cost of treating lead acid, a few waste-lead-accumulator-used companies buy damaged accumulator or buy illegally-refined crude lead. They tempt a few collectors to illegally dismantle waste lead accumulators and pour acid liquor, thus causing environmental pollution. Besides, illegal renewing process of waste lead accumulators is rather easy so tiny workshops have large mobility. This makes supervision more challenging.
With large-scale application of lead accumulator in auto, electric bicycle and energy storage, our country now has become the biggest lead accumulator manufacturer and consumer globally. In 2017, yield of lead accumulator in our country accounted for over 40% of global yield. Waste lead accumulator yield was about 3.8 million tons while most of it enter illegal treatment market. We have to establish normalized treatment system for waste lead accumulator collection as soon as possible, so as to effectively contain environment pollution that might happen accordingly, protect national ecological environment and safeguard health of the masses.
Action Plan on Waste Lead Accumulator Pollution Control brings up that we should accelerate all works to control waste lead accumulator pollution, govern environment pollution caused by illegal treatment and disposal, implement extended producer responsibility system and improve normalized collection and disposal rate of waste lead accumulator. By 2020, the ratio will be 40% that lead accumulator companies realizing normalized collection of waste lead accumulator through extended producer responsibility system; by 2025, the ratio will be 70% and waste lead accumulator collected in normalized way will all be disposed safely.
Based on this action plan, by the end of June, 2019, company lists will have been drawn up, respectively including key companies in lead accumulator manufacturing, primary lead and regenerated lead. These companies should be open to the society and release update. Since this year, Ministry of Ecological Environment and National Development and Reform Commission will include those or those companies who illegally treat waste lead accumulator into illegal and poor social credit list in ecological environment and make publicity. We still need to admit it is far from enough if we hope to achieve the goal of 70%.
China Nonferrous Metals Monthly2019年3期