| China: Solid and Medical Waste Market in Sichuan |
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| Tuesday, July 21, 2009 |
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China’s rapid economic growth and urbanization have resulted in major pollution issues within its towns and cities. Pollution problems are more severe in large cities of Sichuan that have undergone largescale industrial development to implement China’s western development strategy. Under pressure to build Sichuan into an ecologically minded province while at the same time fostering its economy, the Sichuan provincial government is making great efforts to build adequate infrastructure and strengthen environmental law enforcement. In the next five years, the local government will significantly increase capital expenditures in the area of solid and medical waste treatment, which should create many business opportunities for American environmental firms. China: Solid and Medical Waste Market in Sichuan. By Ling Chen, 09/2006. U.S. Commercial Service. Sichuan, lying in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, is the largest province in southwest China with a population of 87 million. Covering an area of 485,000 sq km, Sichuan has 18 prefecture-level cities, 3 autonomous prefectures, 181 counties and 4800 towns. Over the past two decades, especially since the launching of the western development campaign in 2000, Sichuan has witnessed rapid urban and economic development. Currently, Sichuan has the highest GDP among all provinces in Western China. The continuous economic growth and urbanization have led to serious environmental pollution in the large and medium-sized cities (prefecture-level cities). By the end of 2005, Sichuan had forty solid waste treatment plants (landfills) in operation. The annual treatment volume was 4.43 million tons and the treatment rate reached 58.3%. Thanks to the country’s western development policy, Sichuan has recently received significant funding from the central government for construction of environmental infrastructure projects. |
Submitted by Singapore
AIM
This paper seeks CTI's endorsement on a work programme framework for environmental goods and services (EGS) in APEC.
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