City plans better hazardous waste collection with new trial

Shanghai will launch a pilot program for hazardous waste such as used light tubes and batteries by asking disposal firms to set up collection spots at big supermarkets.

The program will begin soon in Changning and Baoshan districts.

Companies involved in hazardous waste collection and treatment will receive subsidies, the Shanghai Greenery and Public Sanitation Bureau said.

It also said it will work with other authorities to install used light tube collection boxes in residential complexes.

Producers and waste collecting companies will be asked to collect and dispose of the light tubes. Collection spots will also be installed where light tubes are sold.

The bureau said it will offer incentives for residents to swap used bulbs for new ones to ensure they are disposed of properly.

The bureau announced the initiative after members of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference's Shanghai committee called for better recycling and management of hazardous waste.

Fan Jiajian, a member of the CPPCC Shanghai committee, said Shanghai had about 1,500 tons of used light tubes last year and only 10 tons were disposed of properly.

He said less than 10 percent of the city's hazardous waste is recycled properly and improper treatment can damage the environment.

Legislators issued the city's first official proposal at the annual session of the Shanghai People's Congress in January, calling for immediate action to improve the disposal of old bulbs and tubes because they contain mercury.

Each bulb contains 0.5 milligrams of poisonous mercury - enough to contaminate 180 tons of water, legislators said. If a bulb breaks the mercury can easily leak into the water system, they added.

"Few professional companies are willing to recycle the worn-out light bulbs due to the lack of laws and production guidelines while neighborhood government offices don't know how to dispose of them safely," the proposal said.

Exposure to mercury can damage the human nervous system and an intake of 2.5 grams can be lethal.

The central government has set the rule "pollution producers bear responsibility," but few laws exist about proper waste disposal.