Firms punished for dumping near bay

Garbage dump overturns water into stream of oil at a shoal of Hangzhou gulf, Yuyao city, East China's Zhejiang province, Aug 30, 2014. (Photo: China News Service)

Two companies have been punished for dumping rubbish on land near Hangzhou Bay in east China's Zhejiang province, and staff from both firms are helping police with an ongoing investigation.

The Huangjiabu Town government said yesterday that construction waste, household garbage and textile waste had covered a 400-square-meter area of land waiting to be developed but it had been cleared by 2pm yesterday.

An initial investigation found that the Huilong textile plant in the town had asked the Chenhui property management company in Cixi City to handle its waste products and they had been dumped on the undeveloped land without authorization.

The local environmental protection bureau has issued punishment notices to both firms but gave no details of what they entailed.

It's not yet known who was responsible for the construction waste and household garbage.

China News Service posted several photos of the rubbish on Saturday night and reported that trucks were still dumping on the land.

It pointed out the Hangzhou Bay is in the middle of a bird migration route between Australia and Siberia and a home and breeding ground for some rare species during the winter months.

Huangjiabu government officials said the dumping ground was not connected to Hangzhou Bay and was some 5 kilometers from the seawall.