An action plan on zero-waste city construction of Hunan Province was officially issued by the Ecology and Environment Department of Hunan Province on April 8, 2024, marking its official operation provincewide.

The zero-waste city construction is a major strategic initiative initiated by the CPC Central Committee and the State Council. It refers to an advanced urban development and management model that aims to promote green lifestyles, reduce waste generation, strengthen recycling programs and ensure that waste does not harm the environment when released.

In 2022, Changsha and Zhangjiajie were included in the national "zero-waste city" construction during the "14th Five-Year Plan" period. Efforts have been made to explore the source reduction and comprehensive utilization of five types of solid waste, including general industrial solid waste, hazardous waste, agricultural waste, household waste, and construction waste.

Hunan's "zero-waste city" construction plan was formulated based on the pilot experience of Changsha and Zhangjiajie and the measures taken in Zhejiang, Shanghai, Hubei, and other provinces and municipalities. There are mainly 16 construction tasks in 5 aspects. According to the plan, there will be 2-3 provincial and 1-2 municipal "zero-waste cells" set up by the end of 2024, which mainly include the promotion of "zero-waste" in various production and living units such as departments, enterprises and public institutions, restaurants, shopping malls, communities, villages and towns, and households. By the end of 2025, more than 50% of counties around the province will meet the requirements for "zero-waste" construction. By 2027, over 60% of cities and prefecture will be qualified for "zero-waste" construction.

Translator: Yu Jiangjiang

Chinese source: hunan.gov.cn