Recently, the Department of Ecology and Environment of Hubei Province issued the Trial Rules for Solid Waste Resource Utilization Trading of Hubei Environmental Resources Trading Center (hereinafter referred to as the Rules). The document aims to standardize solid waste resource utilization trading activities on the provincial official ecological and environmental rights trading platform, protect the legitimate rights and interests of all trading parties, and boost efficient, compliant and recycling-oriented utilization of solid waste.
The Rules clearly define the scope of solid waste resource utilization trading, covering trading of solid waste, urban mineral resources, as well as supporting green technologies and green equipment via the official trading platform. Tradable solid waste encompasses a wide range of categories, mainly including industrial solid waste (such as phosphogypsum and spent power batteries), agricultural solid waste, domestic garbage and construction waste, together with various hazardous wastes including waste lead-acid batteries, waste mineral oil, waste coal tar, waste printed circuit boards and spent catalysts.
The Rules specify the identity attributes of all trading participants. Transferors refer to production and business entities that legally hold disposal rights and interests of tradable solid waste, or own proprietary rights to green technologies and green equipment. Transferees are market entities qualified with corresponding solid waste treatment and disposal qualifications, technical capabilities and operational conditions.
In terms of full-process trading administration, the Rules set forth core management systems covering participant qualification review, standardized trading procedures and trading fund settlement. All transferors and transferees shall complete real-name registration on the trading platform and submit authentic, compliant, complete and valid qualification documents, based on which the platform will establish dedicated credit files for each participant. Transferors shall guarantee clear, legally owned and dispute-free property rights of trading targets, and publish transfer announcements on the platform in accordance with regulations, specifying key information including category, quantity, trading mode, reserve price, trading time limit, qualification requirements for transferees and deposit standards. The trading platform will conduct dual reviews on the completeness and standardization of submitted applications, and publicly release trading information upon approval. After the public notice period expires, the platform will adopt corresponding trading methods in accordance with laws based on the number of qualified intended transferees recruited. All trading funds shall be transferred exclusively through the platform’s dedicated settlement system. The platform exercises special administration and whole-process supervision over funds in settlement accounts to ensure earmarked use and prevent fund embezzlement, fully safeguarding trading capital security.
In respect of legal liabilities, the Rules establish a full-chain supervision and credit restraint mechanism. The trading platform will cooperate with ecological and environmental authorities at all levels and competent industrial departments to conduct regular supervision over subsequent links including solid waste transportation, resource recycling and harmless disposal post transaction completion. For illegal and irregular acts occurring in transactions such as submitting false materials, forging qualification certificates, price manipulation through malicious collusion, and defaulting on contractual obligations without justifiable reasons, the platform may impose disciplinary measures according to circumstances, including verbal and written warnings, suspension of trading access, transaction termination and blacklisting for dishonesty. Cases suspected of crimes shall be transferred to judicial authorities for legal handling.
