THE legislative affairs authority of Shenzhen is going to organize an online public hearing on the management of construction waste Aug. 23, to seek public opinions on a modified version of the relevant regulations, sznews.com reported.

The hearing will be held on the public WeChat account of the city’s legislative affairs office on the afternoon of Aug. 23, according to the office’s recent announcement on its portal.

No more than 60 residents will be admitted to the online hearing. In particular, 25 slots are designated for representatives of enterprises and 35 seats will be saved for resident representatives.

Those who intend to participate in the online hearing should follow the WeChat account: “Shenzhen Legislation” (深圳法制) before Aug. 21 to register.

During the online public hearing, two main issues regarding a joint-force management system and a qualification system for assessing enterprises handling construction waste are going to be discussed by participants.

Previous regulations on the management of construction waste were issued in 2013 and officially implemented Jan. 1, 2014. However, the catastrophic landslide that took place at a dumping site in Guangming New Area on Dec. 20, 2015 exposed the flaws of the previous management of construction waste and the urgent need for modification.

The municipal government has attached a high degree of importance to the landslide accident and urged relevant departments to modify the previous regulations to enhance the management of construction waste.

According to the legislative affairs office, since the city is still undergoing rapid urban development, a large quantity of waste is generated every day.

Currently, the main treatments of construction waste include the landfill approach, recycling, and outbound transportation, but each method has its limitations. Therefore, the modified management system requires more of a focus on recycling waste for the city’s sustainable development.

A joint-force management system has been included in the modified regulations, as three different departments, namely the construction department, transportation department, and water affairs department, are currently in charge of handling construction waste.

Participants in the online public hearing are going to weigh the feasibility of an Internet-based joint-force management system integrating the three departments for the management of construction waste.

Additionally, the modified regulations also propose requirements regarding the management of vehicles transporting construction waste, and policies that encourage enterprises to use recycled products made of construction waste, among others.

(Zhang Qian)