"New Three" Solid Waste Needs Greener Recycling

In recent years, with the acceleration of the global green and low-carbon transition and the in-depth promotion of China's "dual carbon" goals, the new energy industry has rapidly risen, becoming a new engine for China's high-quality economic development. After years of service, a large number of clean energy equipment will successively exceed their service life. How to dispose of the "new three" solid wastes, such as power batteries for electric vehicles, solar photovoltaic panels, and wind turbines, has become an urgent problem to be solved.

The "new three" types of solid waste largely contain heavy metals, toxic elements, and non-degradable materials, and improper disposal can cause irreversible damage to the ecosystem. Although there are undeniable environmental pollution risks, they also hold considerable economic value. Proper treatment can turn waste into treasure, transform harm into benefit, achieve resource reuse, and unleash significant economic benefits.

A complete institutional system is the fundamental guarantee for maintaining safety. At present, China has successively introduced a series of policies and measures, clarifying general industry norms and standards, and promoting the standardized recycling and utilization of the "new three" solid wastes. For example, regarding the recycling and utilization of power batteries, China has issued over 20 national standards, covering general requirements for power battery recycling, management specifications, dismantling specifications, and other aspects. In the future, a management regulation for the comprehensive utilization of new energy vehicle power batteries will also be introduced, effectively guiding the high-quality development of the power battery recycling industry. Next, it is necessary to continuously deepen and refine relevant implementation rules to provide guidance for industry development.

Increasing technological breakthroughs is a crucial path to improving resource utilization efficiency. The "new three" waste recovery categories are diverse and difficult to handle, and both recycling and cascade utilization rely heavily on the support of new technologies. Currently, recovery operations still rely heavily on manual labor, resulting in low efficiency and high costs. Achieving safe and automated dismantling is a major challenge facing the industry. Exploring the establishment of collaborative innovation platforms involving universities, research institutes, and enterprises, and providing policy and financial support, can facilitate the development of efficient and environmentally friendly recycling technologies, accelerate the industrial application of technological achievements, and continuously empower the industry's development.

Industry synergy is a crucial link in facilitating smooth recycling. The recycling of "new three" types of solid waste involves numerous stakeholders, necessitating a clear definition of responsibilities across all links of the industrial chain and strengthening the relevance of the entire chain. We can further implement the extended producer responsibility system, guide manufacturing enterprises to participate in recycling and utilization, accelerate the development of third-party recycling, and maximize the circular utilization value of recycled products.