China will target a "dynamic balance" between industrial solid waste output and processing capacity in key sectors, as it steps up source reduction and comprehensive utilization to tackle massive historical stockpiles and rapidly accumulating new waste, according to a recent national action plan on solid waste governance.

Unveiled early this year by the State Council, the country's Cabinet, the plan prioritizes the treatment of solid waste that has a direct impact on public health and workplace safety.

It calls for the expedited establishment of a comprehensive, long-term governance framework, alongside resolute measures to curb solid waste growth, with the industrial sector as a key focus of these efforts.

By 2030, the annual utilization of bulk solid waste should reach about 4.5 billion metric tons, and the annual volume of recycled major renewable resources should be 510 million tons, per the plan.

In a recent news conference organized by the State Council Information Office, Li Gao, vice-minister of ecology and environment, said more than 11 billion metric tons of solid waste — spanning industrial, construction, household, agricultural, and hazardous categories — is generated in China each year.

In particular, he highlighted the remarkable challenges China faces in managing its growing industrial solid waste.

China's industrial sectors, such as mining, smelting, and power generation, continue to generate vast quantities of solid waste, compounding the challenge of a massive historical stockpile, he stated.

In recent years, he said, traditional utilization channels such as infrastructure construction have contracted, increasing the difficulty of reuse, which in turn has driven a further rise in new accumulations.

"As a result, effective governance must tackle both the legacy of historical stockpiles and the mounting pressure of new waste," he noted.

A preliminary survey by the ministry shows that the cumulative stockpiled industrial solid waste across the country amounts to about 33 billion tons, occupying an area of about 3,500 square kilometers, Li revealed.

According to the ministry's Solid Waste and Chemicals Management Center, China's comprehensive utilization of non-hazardous industrial solid waste totaled 2.65 billion tons in 2024, representing an increase of 740 million tons from 2012.

"However, compared with the vast and growing generation of non-hazardous industrial solid waste, the amount recovered and productively utilized remains quite limited," the center said in a statement following publication of the action plan.