Chongqing - Since the launch of Chongqing's citywide Zero-Waste City construction in 2022, the city has successfully established more than 1,500 Zero-Waste City Cells of 24 different types, covering various aspects of daily life, according to a joint press conference and progress meeting regarding the construction of a Zero-Waste City in the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle on October 24.
The concept of a Zero-Waste City represents an advanced urban planning and management philosophy, with Zero-Waste City Cells serving as the fundamental building blocks of this construction.
A picture of Chongqing's landscape, including its landmark, Raffles City. (Photo/Qin Zheng)
The first nationwide interprovincial pollution control mechanism
Sichuan's Luzhou and Chongqing's Rongchang have become exemplary cases of resource sharing for solid waste disposal, marking a milestone in their joint efforts and the establishment of the first nationwide interprovincial pollution control mechanism.
Furthermore, the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle has pioneered a "white list" system for the interprovincial transfer of hazardous waste. This innovative approach has extended to include six provinces: Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan, Chongqing, Hunan, and Henan.
The number of authorized waste categories has expanded from three to 59, and the approval process, which previously took a month, has been streamlined to approximately five days through the system. This simplification of the approval process has facilitated waste transfer, improved access to disposal facilities, and reduced business costs.
Since the inception of the Zero-Waste City project in Chongqing, remarkable progress has been achieved in promoting sustainable green development.
In the industrial sector, Chongqing has prioritized the creation of 24 key industrial parks and large-scale solid waste comprehensive utilization and recycling demonstration bases, achieving an 80% comprehensive utilization rate for industrial solid waste.
In the daily life sector, starting in 2021, Chongqing's central urban area has achieved zero landfilling and complete incineration of domestic waste. The city currently ranks in the top position in the western region for waste sorting and recycling.
In the agricultural sector, Chongqing has enhanced the network system for collecting, transferring, district-level centralized sorting, and transporting agricultural film waste. The annual recovery rate for agricultural film waste is expected to exceed 89%.
Full-cycle monitoring of recycled resources via ESC
The Chongqing Electric Old Material Recycling and Renewable Resource Reutilization Center of the State Grid Corporation of China in Yonchuan District is the first national power old material recycling center. This center combines warehousing, dismantling, and recycling various electrical waste materials.
Over the past year, the State Grid Chongqing Electric Power Company processed over 3,900 tons of scrap copper, steel, and aluminum through the center, effectively reducing carbon emissions by more than 16,000 tons.
Transformer dismantling production line. (Photo/Li Keyi)
According to Chen Pu, Deputy Director of Production at the center, dismantling discarded transformers, switch cabinets, power cables, and other electrical network waste materials has generated and categorized scrap copper, scrap aluminum, and scrap steel, among various other recyclable resources.
In May 2022, the State Grid Chongqing Electric Power Company initiated a pilot program to recycle and reuse electrical network waste materials within its system.
As part of the pilot process, each unit is responsible for submitting dismantling plans for four categories of materials, including discarded transformers, switch cabinets, power cables, and aluminum-clad steel wire, through the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system. The company's material division is responsible for collecting and reviewing these plans.
After dismantling the waste materials, they are processed on the State Grid Corporation of China's e-commerce platform (ECP) in the specialized area for recycling resources, gradually forming a comprehensive and scientifically designed disposal chain for waste materials.
Chen added that this process effectively acts as a filtration mechanism for recycling companies on behalf of various power supply companies, thereby preventing the risk of waste materials returning to the power grid. Moreover, the entire process implements full-cycle monitoring, with electronic monitoring equipment installed in the factory and workshops.
The logistics transport compartments also have panoramic cameras with night vision, monitoring, and alarm capabilities. Real-time video data is archived and available for review at the Supply Chain Operations Center (ESC).