State Council Issued Action Plan on Comprehensive Solid Waste Management, Strengthening Corporate Compliance Obligations
ISSUING AUTHORITY:
State Council of the People’s Republic of China
DATE OF ISSUANCE:
December 27, 2025
EFFECTIVE DATE:
December 27, 2025
On December 27, 2025, the State Council released the Notice on Issuing the Action Plan for Comprehensive Solid Waste Management (the “Action Plan”).
The Action Plan sets out the objective of significantly enhancing China’s comprehensive solid waste management capacity by 2030, with notable progress to be achieved through targeted remediation in key sectors. Enterprises are required to strengthen source reduction of industrial solid waste, promote green design and improvements to production processes, and enhance ledger management as well as end-to-end tracking and control across the entire waste management chain. The Action Plan strictly prohibits the mixed stacking and disposal of industrial solid waste and the illegal cross-provincial transfer thereof, and further standardizes the collection and management of hazardous waste.
With respect to construction waste, the Action Plan requires that costs related to waste reduction, transportation, utilization, and disposal be incorporated into project budgets, and that waste reduction measures be clearly defined. Enterprises are also required to fulfill their responsibilities for reducing plastic product usage and to promote the green transformation of express delivery packaging. The Action Plan further emphasizes strengthening the recycling and utilization of renewable resources, improving standards and certification systems for recycled materials, and promoting information-based traceability systems for enterprises.
In addition, the Action Plan calls for enhanced whole-process digital supervision, requiring enterprises to upgrade intelligent and digital monitoring equipment. It also refines the implementation of environmental protection tax policies related to solid waste and promotes the practice of “reverse invoicing” for resource recycling enterprises. A waste disposal charging system will also be implemented, with exploration of differentiated fees for household waste disposal.
The Action Plan further requires strict regulation of administrative inspections involving enterprises, clarification of the boundary of responsibilities between government authorities and enterprises, and the reinforcement of enterprises’ primary responsibility for pollution prevention and control.
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