China to Clear up Insecticide POPs Wastes    

On August 20th, 2009 China launched a project to spend five years in collecting and treating 10 000 tons of residual persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in wasted insecticides by environmental harmless technologies. The Chinese government also plans to formulate or modify the management policies and technical standards for hazardous wastes.
   According to the investigation the Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, before 2004, China's 58 insecticide active ingredient makers generated approximately 3 840 to 4 380 tons of wastes that exists in the forms of sold or liquid without any manual management. In addition, around 219 to 1 713 tons of insecticide wastes are stored by trading companies in the whole country. Along with the amount that was newly founded in the investigation between 2005 and 2008, China's total insecticide POPs wastes amounted 10 000 tons at present.
   An expert from the Environmental Planning Institute of the Ministry of Environmental Protection says that, as of August 20th, 2009 China has 55 hazardous wastes treatment projects under operation or construction, of which, 25 projects started running with a combined processing capacity of 645 000 tons every year.
   As reported, before 2015, China aims to complete the primary harmless management and treatment for the identified POPs wastes, safely dispose of at least 10 000 tons of insecticide POPs wastes and establish qualified facilities for treating POPs wastes.
   In May 2001, China agreed the Stockholm Convention, a global treaty to protect human health and the environment from POPs, and committed to eliminate the manufacture and use of all intentionally produced POPs. Since then, the Chinese government has done lots of work in action to reduce the production and usage of POPs. Recently, China has just announced to ban the production, trade, use and import & export of dichlorodiphenyl trichloroethane (DDT), chlordane, mirex and hexachlorobenzene. (CCR2009 No.16)