Since the 1980s, in order to alleviate the shortage of raw materials, China has begun to import solid wastes that can be used as raw materials from abroad, thus gradually becoming the largest country in the world in importing and utilizing solid wastes. According to customs statistics in 2017, the largest types of solid waste imported by China that year were waste paper, waste plastics, and waste metals.

In order to further standardize the management of solid waste imports and prevent environmental pollution caused by the renewable resources industry, in 2017, the General Office of the State Council issued the “Implementation Plan for Prohibiting the Entry of Foreign Waste and Promoting the Reform of the Solid Waste Import Management System”, which was adjusted in batches since 2018. “Imported Waste Management List”, by the end of 2019, the newly added “prohibited import of solid waste” will reach 32 varieties.

Developed countries and regions such as the United States, the European Union, and Japan have established a refined management and control system for the whole process of solid waste after more than 30 years of research and practice.

New Technology of Solid Waste Treatment

Developed countries and regions such as the United States, the European Union, and Japan have formed a large-scale solid waste recycling industry, and major countries have also provided greater support for technology research and development.

For example, the EU’s Horizon Plan (Horizon2020) has set up special projects in the field of solid waste, and has supported a number of research projects in the fields of waste material recycling and urban mining; Japan continues to promote the development plan of a “recycling society”, and important bulk metals Nearly 100% recycling, and it is proposed that the solid waste landfill rate will be reduced to 3% in 2035.

In general, new technologies such as environmental big data, the Internet, and artificial intelligence have been integrated into the field of solid waste recycling. The United States, Canada, etc. have developed industrial park solid waste recycling and industrial symbiosis decision-making algorithms and platforms based on physical/Internet technology, increasing the waste recycling rate by 37%. Germany, Japan, etc. have adopted radio frequency identification (RFID) in the fields of garbage removal and transportation, metering systems, waste statistics, monitoring and management.

In addition, the United States and the European Union have also established solid waste risk assessment models and basic databases such as IWEM, 3MRA, EPACMTP, and IWAIR, which provide support for the refined management and control of solid waste. In terms of resource utilization technology of solid waste such as waste paper, waste plastic, and scrap metal, developed countries have also developed and applied new technical processes to increase the added value of solid waste resource products.