The Ministry of Construction on Monday issued its Management Method of Urban Household Garbage, which will come into effect on July 1. According to the method, urban residents caught illegally disposing or piling up garbage could face fines of up to 200 yuan while organizations guilty of the same infraction could be fined from 5,000 to 50,000 yuan.

The method also sets up varying garbage disposal fees based on local standards. Companies violating these stipulations will face fines of up to 30,000 yuan, with individuals fined 1,000 yuan for refusing to pay them. These new regulations will also see local governments listening to public opinion when designing new household garbage disposal plans, garbage collection coordination and the location and size of future disposal plants.

According to the method, landfill sites, compost and incineration plants should all be built in areas that fit both urban and rural planning guidelines. New forms of more stringent supervision will be imposed on processing techniques, equipment management and environmental protection. Garbage disposal plants must also ensure they are equipped with methane-detection instruments and online inspection systems, facts will be monitored by relevant construction and environment authorities.

The method also outlined a new system for garbage classification that would allocate specific trash cans or collecting sites to various types of garbage, although this system will see gradual implementation.

(China.org.cn by Huang Shan, June 6, 2007)