Project description

Title: Management of Obsolete Pesticides
Commissioned by: Bundesministerium für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung (BMZ)
Country: China
Lead executing agency: Ministry of Agriculture
Overall term: 2004 to 2012

Context

The People’s Republic of China is the world’s largest pesticide producer. In 2007 it manufactured 1.7 million tonnes of pesticides, of which 473,000 tonnes were exported. Production has been growing at annual rates of over 20%. Large quantities of the pesticides that are produced – above all insecticides – are highly toxic. By far the majority of these are used in agriculture. There are as yet no effective controls over the agricultural chemicals traded on the market, their application in agriculture or the disposal of obsolete stocks and empty pesticide containers. There are no suitable structures in place in China to provide for orderly collection and disposal. The very large numbers of empty pesticide containers left lying in the fields because of the lack of collection and disposal facilities constitute an acute potential hazard for people and the environment because of the residues of toxic pesticides they contain.

At present there is barely any functioning interaction between pesticide producers, users and the authorities with regard to environmentally sound disposal. Despite the environmental protection law in force in China since 1993, there is a lack of appropriate implementing regulations and technical guidelines at all levels. There are no high-temperature incineration plants which could minimise the emission of pollutants during disposal and meet international standards, nor service providers who could take care of disposal in a professional manner. One alternative means of disposal already practised in many countries, namely incineration in rotary cement kilns, is not yet used in China.  For the most part the population has not been informed about the dangers associated with obsolete pesticides. A lack of expert knowledge and insufficient experience of the disposal options within the relevant authorities and in the private sector have so far hampered the establishment of proper disposal chains.

Objective

Relevant state institutions and service providers in three pilot provinces are in a position to ensure the environmentally sound disposal of obsolete pesticides and contaminated packaging materials. The Ministries of Agriculture and Environmental Protection have drawn up all necessary guidelines related to the disposal of obsolete pesticides and contaminated containers in cement works. Environmentally sound disposal of the majority of obsolete pesticides and packaging materials has taken place, with due observance of international standards such as the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs). The budgets of the provincial administrations safeguard the sustainable funding of orderly, environmentally sound disposal. Furthermore, pesticide users are more aware of how to reduce potential hazards.

Approach

The project provides advisory services on the elaboration of technical standards and regulations for dealing with obsolete pesticides and contaminated packaging materials, and tests technical and organisational solutions to serve as models for orderly disposal in at least one of the three pilot provinces. The regulations to prevent the production of obsolete pesticides and set up a complete disposal chain for contaminated packaging materials are put into practice by the provincial authorities in cooperation with private enterprises. The environmentally sound removal of obsolete pesticides by means of high-temperature incineration – primarily in cement works – is included in the disposal concept. Training programmes and awareness-raising campaigns are carried out in conjunction with the agricultural extension services. The continuous disposal of obsolete pesticides and contaminated packaging in the cement industry significantly reduces the consumption of fossil fuels in cement production, thus reducing emissions of CO2. All in all this helps protect the environment and human health, and also protects the atmosphere against the introduction of persistent organic pollutants.

Results achieved so far

Data on the quantities, chemical composition and degradation of the products and on storage methods, container quality and storage facilities has been collated in the three pilot provinces. The pesticide manufacturers have also been investigated to identify any production discrepancies that result in overproduction of pesticides. The procedure for incinerating obsolete pesticides at high temperature in rotary cement kilns has been tested and received first approval from the State Environment Protection Administration (SEPA), now the Ministry for Environmental Protection, at the end of 2007.

The project has already entered into a public-private partnership with the Holcim - Huaxin Cement joint venture. Both sides have secured cost advantages. Thanks to the co-incineration of obsolete pesticides at the cement works in Wuxue, Holcim -Huaxin has both saved fuel and gathered data and experience that can be used for its strategic move to practise co-incineration of energy-rich wastes on a larger scale in future. The provincial authorities are provided with a cost-effective means of disposing of hazardous obsolete pesticides, while at the same time CO2 emissions in cement manufacture are reduced. Based on the positive experience of this first co-incineration scheme for obsolete pesticides, a further 1,300 tonnes, including 140 tonnes of DDT, have now been disposed of in two cement works belonging to the Holcim - Huaxin group in the pilot provinces of Hubei and Jiangsu. Emissions analyses carried out taking international threshold levels into account revealed that there were no potential dangers of any kind for the environment or the population. The disposal of DDT, one of the persistent organic pollutants, supports implementation of the Stockholm Convention in China.

Options for the establishment of a collection system for contaminated packaging material have been developed. Implementation of the regulatory framework by the state environmental protection agency has now been improved. Guidelines for better control of pesticide producers have been developed and are about to be implemented. Media campaigns have been launched to raise the level of farmers’ knowledge in the three pilot provinces. Two television films have been aired, greatly increasing awareness among the public and decision-makers. 

Downloads

• Chinese project description
  cn-management-von-obsoleten-pestiziden.pdf, 0,10 MB (Chinese)