China’s rapid economic development and large investments in infrastructure have fueled steel production and manufacturing. But this has also created a serious pollution problem, especially for Baoshan Iron & Steel, known as Baosteel.
After years of development, Baosteel has now successfully removed its landfill that was packed with 1.5 million tonnes of solid waste for a decade.
Baosteel’s factory sits near the Yangtze River, so there is a risk that the huge amounts of solid waste may contaminate the underground water, affecting the Yangtze River as well.
Baosteel started efforts to solve the serious problem between 2019 and 2020.
Removing the waste and renovating the landfill has seen the area turned into a green land full of trees and flowers. The huge project cost the company 860 million yuan (USD 128M).
So far, 99.8% of the solid waste at Baosteel is recycled – most of it even re-produced as new products.
In addition, Baosteel is also planning to tackle water and atmospheric problems, aiming to cut emissions as lower as possible to even zero-emission.
The company aims to reduce carbon emissions by 30% by 2035, and reach carbon neutrality by 2050.