The Ministry of Ecology and Environment ("MEE") has recently issued the national environmental protection standard entitled Technical Specification of Pollution Control for Disposal of Waste Lead-acid Batteries (Published Version) (the "Technical Specification") and also enacted and released the Guide to the Review and Licensing of Hazardous Waste Operators for Waste Lead-acid Batteries (for Trial Implementation), both of which shall go into effect immediately from the date of issuance.
The Technical Specification mainly sets forth the requirements on pollution control during the process of collecting, storing, transporting, utilizing and disposing of waste lead-acid batteries. It is the first time that this standard has been amended since it was initially released in 2009. The principal changes incorporated by the Technical Specification include: renaming the standard; adjusting the scope of application of this standard and the requirements on collection, transportation and storage of waste lead-acid batteries; detailing the requirements in three aspects including "the construction and cleaner production of secondary lead enterprises"; and adding the requirements for ground water environmental monitoring by secondary lead enterprises and the requirements for monitoring of main pollutant emissions generated by pyrometallurgy and hydrometallurgy. Among others, the Technical Specification states that the process of collecting, transporting and storing waste lead-acid batteries should fulfill the requirements for environmental protection and also comply with relevant requirements laid out in the state regulations and standards on work safety, occupational health, transportation, and fire protection.