New rules crack down on construction waste

Shanghai will impose new rules for the disposal of waste from construction sites next year, including tougher penalties for offenders.

Operators of disposal sites, transit points and sorting and recycling stations will face fines of up to 50,000 yuan (US$7,700), up from 30,000 yuan, if they fail to record and report the amount of waste received to city, district greenery or public sanitation authorities.

The new rules replace regulations in place since 2011.

Operators must also record all waste transport vehicles and vessels using their facilities and report movements to the authorities. The new rules also require waste to be sorted and stacked separately by type. Offenders can be fined.

The new rules require trucks and ships carrying construction waste to be fitted with electronic devices to record routes, times and destinations. They must also bear clear company logos for easy identification.

Transport companies breaching the new rules face fines of up to 10,000 yuan, compared with the current maximum of 2,000.

Construction companies must sort waste on site and ensure domestic garbage and dangerous wastes are not mixed, or face a fine of up to 30,000 yuan — a new offense not covered by the existing rules.

Individuals face a fine of up to 1,000 yuan if they fail to dispose of construction garbage in designated sites or mix construction waste with domestic garbage. They must also separate hazardous waste.

Transport companies will lose their license if they are cited three times within a certain period for failing to securely cover their loads.

They also now face the same punishment if their drivers cause an accident in which three or more people die.

About 100 million tons of construction waste is produced in the city every year, according to the Shanghai Greenery and Public Sanitation Bureau.

About 1 ton of waste is produced by every square meter of demolition work, the bureau said.