On January 11, 2024, the Opinions of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council on Comprehensively Promoting the Development of a “Beautiful China” (hereinafter referred to as the Opinions) were released.

The "Opinions" document underlines the need to fortify the management of solid waste and new pollutants. The specifics are as follows: Accelerate the development of "zero waste" cities, persistently advance the management actions for new pollutants, and promote the realization of "zero waste" environments and environmental health in both urban and rural areas. Enhance the comprehensive management of solid waste, restrict excessive packaging of commodities, and implement full-chain management of plastic pollution. Intensify efforts to completely prohibit the entry of "foreign garbage," and rigorously prevent the smuggling and disguised importation of all forms of solid waste. Strengthen the supervision, utilization, and disposal capabilities of hazardous waste, with a focus on enhancing the pollution control of tailings ponds in key areas such as the Yangtze River Economic Belt and the Yellow River Basin. Develop regulations for the environmental risk management of toxic and harmful chemicals. By the year 2027, the goal is for the construction of "zero waste" cities to reach a proportion of 60%, with a notable reduction in the intensity of solid waste production. By 2035, the initiative aims for the complete coverage of "zero waste" cities construction, with eastern provinces leading in the comprehensive establishment of "zero waste" cities throughout their regions, effectively controlling the environmental risks posed by new pollutants.

The document prioritizes pollution reduction, carbon reduction, coordinated emission reduction of multiple pollutants, and the management of new pollutants as key areas of national basic research and scientific and technological innovation. It calls for an intensification of efforts to develop key core technologies and bolster scientific and technological support. There is a push to accelerate the establishment of a modern ecological environment monitoring system network, enhance the monitoring capability of new pollutants, and hasten digital empowerment. Furthermore, there is a call to expedite the implementation of projects aimed at enhancing environmental quality, supporting pollution reduction in key areas, comprehensive management of significant rivers, lakes, and bays, prevention and control of soil pollution sources, environmental risk management of hazardous waste, and the management of new pollutants.

Professor Li Jinhui, Executive Director of the Basel Convention Regional Centre for Asia and the Pacific/Stockholm Convention Regional Centre for Capacity Building and the Transfer of Technology in Asia and the Pacific (BCRC China/SCRCAP), interpreted the contents, highlighting four "firsts": for the first time, a separate deployment for managing solid waste and new pollutants has been made in the battle against pollution; for the first time, the specific work targets for constructing "zero waste" cities are clearly outlined in documents from the Central Party Committee and the State Council; the concept of "zero waste" urban and rural areas is introduced for the first time; and the requirement to "build 'zero waste' cities" is proposed for the first time. This signifies that strengthening the management of solid waste and new pollutants plays an increasingly crucial role in the Central Party Committee and the State Council's comprehensive effort to forge a new journey in building a beautiful China, and it will become an important chapter in the creation of a beautiful China.