Mercury waste management in China: implications on the implementation of the Minamata Convention on Mercury

Abstract

Existing management standards in China for mercury waste classification and disposal and those of the Minamata Convention on Mercury (the Convention) differ to some extent. To address this knowledge gap, herein, we introduced the mercury-related industrial sectors, solid waste management regulations, and policies, and analyzed the influence of the Convention’s definition and related technical guidelines on mercury waste management in China. The results revealed several pressing issues for China: inconsistency in the classification of mercury wastes between the Convention and the National Catalogue of Hazardous Wastes (NCHW), insufficient specificity in the declaration of mercury wastes, and lack of disposal capacity and practices on liquid mercury disposal. Accordingly, we analyzed the need to improve the mercury waste management system and proposed suggestions to enhance the capacity building for mercury waste management in an environmentally sound way. This study contributed to the understanding of relevant government apparatus to enhance the current solid waste supervision system, improve the existing standard system on mercury waste identification and disposal, and facilitate the implementation of the Convention.