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Hosted by the Sanya Municipal People’s Government and the Department of Ecology and Environment of Hainan Province, a two-day “zero-waste pilot city” work advancement meeting was held in Sanya on December 10th, 2019.

At the end of April, Sanya was included on a list of the first eleven pilot cities nationwide to qualify for a new “zero-waste” construction project. Sanya is Hainan Province’s only city to be selected for the project.

The zero-waste projects in Sanya mainly focus on five areas:

– Strengthening public education about reduction of domestic waste;

– Initiating environmentally-friendly programs that will lead to the creation of waste-free sea islets;

– Advancing industrial park models that will promote recycling;

– Strengthening agricultural pollution control in waste utilization;

– Focusing on “waste-free city culture” development;

Mr. Deng Xiaogang, Director of the Department of Ecology and Environment of Hainan Province, said that in recent years, Hainan Province has made plans to offer policy support that will promote zero-waste city development across the island.

According to plans, the production, sale, and use of single-use, non-biodegradable plastic bags and plastic tableware products will be completely banned throughout the province by the end of 2020. Hainan Province will set up a complete recycling management system and an incentives program aimed at promoting the wide usage of biodegradable plastics. By the end of 2025, all banned plastic products will be completely phased out across the island. In addition, financial support will be provided for the construction of infrastructure for recycling solid waste.

According to local authorities, the Sanya government, along with enterprises and citizens, will form a joint task force for solid waste management. More green initiatives dedicated to helping Sanya develop into a replicable zero-waste model city will be carried out across the city. Those initiatives will include comprehensive management of general pollution, construction of a recycling-focused economic industrial park, intelligent supervision of solid waste production and flow, and establishment of an international communications platform.