The draft law on recycling economy of China, made to boost
sustainable development through energy saving and reduction of
pollutant discharge, was deliberated for the first time by
lawmakers on Sunday.
The draft law was submitted to the 29th session of the Standing
Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), China's top
legislature, for first reading.
The draft stipulates governments at all levels should make plans
on the development of circular economy, establish systems to
control energy use and pollutant emission, strengthen management on
companies with high energy and water consumption, make policies to
divert capitals into environmentally friendly industries.
The draft also introduces reward and punishment systems for
companies, encouraging them to develop recycling economy and making
them responsible for the recycling of their products.
Officials found with dereliction of duty will get administrative
punishments or even be subject to criminal prosecutions, the draft
says.
Companies which violate the import ban on equipment, materials
or products that cause high energy consumption and pollution will
be fined from 100,000 yuan (US$ 13,333) to 1 million yuan,
according to the draft.
It says companies which use fuel generators or fuel boilers that
fail to meet national standards will be fined from 10,000 yuan to
500,000 yuan.
"China has been facing serious environmental and resources
problems during the economic development since the 1980s, which
were mainly caused by the low resources efficiency", said Feng
Zhijun, vice chairman of the NPC Environmental Protection and
Resources Conservation Committee, at the legislative session.
He said the average energy consumption per unit product for
high-energy-consuming industries, such as steel, electric power and
cement in China was 20 percent higher than the advanced
international level.
Feng said the development of recycling economy would provide new
resources for economic development, effectively cut pollutant
emissions and increase economic benefit.
If a steel factory, with a yearly output of eight to 10 million
tons, reclaims all of the remaining heat and flammable gas, the
energy saved is able to run a 800,000-kilowatt power station, and
if China's energy efficiency reaches advanced international level,
it will reduce the emission of sulfur dioxide by 4.5 million tons
every year, he said.
"It's essential to establish a legal system to combine energy
saving and environmental protection with economic and social
development to ensure a sustainable development," he said.
The committee started to draft out the law on recycling economy
in December, 2005 and collected more than 1,000 suggestions from
relevant government departments, colleges, and local people's
congresses this year to perfect the draft.
(Xinhua News Agency August 27 2007)
