Twenty companies in Shanghai have been fined on a daily basis in the first half of the year for ignoring official warnings over environmental regulation violations, according to Shanghai Environmental Protection Bureau’s law enforcement team.
The team reported a total of 2,435 violations around the city from January to June, a 97.3 percent increase compared to the same period last year.
Among the 20 violators highlighted, was Shanghai Pudong Freeze Dryer Equipment Company.
In an inspection on February 20, the company was found to be operating without a required license from the environment authority, while illegally discharging sewage, waste gas and oil.
The company was fined 75,000 yuan (US$11,000) and ordered to take action.
In a second inspection on May 5, the enforcement team found the company was still operating without a license, and issued a warning.
By the next inspection on June 2, the company had still not stopped operations in line with the orders, and was fined a total of 2.1 million yuan for the 28 days of violations between the two inspections. Officials said the company would be closed by the end of the month.
According to the team, illegal waste discharge and unlicensed operations are the most common violations. By the end of June, over 230 million yuan of fines had been issued — about 2.6 times the amount a year earlier.
