Under the guise of land reclamation and backfilling, a chemical enterprise in Jiangsu illegally disposed of at least 7,997.6 tons of highly toxic pesticide intermediates.

　　In order to siphon off funds for a land‑reclamation project, village officials tacitly allowed a company to enter the village and carry out illegal burial operations, resulting in at least nearly 8,000 tons of hazardous chemical waste being secretly dumped in rural areas. A recent investigation by Xinhua Viewpoint reporters revealed that a chemical enterprise in Taixing, Jiangsu Province, illegally buried cyanamide‑containing waste in multiple local villages, severely contaminating farmland. At present, the Taixing Municipal Public Security Bureau has referred 30 suspects involved in the case to the procuratorial authorities for review and prosecution on suspicion of the crime of environmental pollution.
　　According to reports, nearly 8,000 tons of hazardous chemical waste consist of calcium cyanamide, which is an important… Pesticide It serves as an intermediate for the synthesis of the fungicides carbendazim, benomyl, and cyprodinil; the insecticides pirimicarb and pyrimiphos‑methyl; and the herbicides chlorosulfuron, metsulfuron‑methyl, metsulfuron‑methyl‑sodium, ethiosulfonate, bensulfuron‑methyl, pyrazosulfuron‑ethyl, and cycloxydim, among others.
　　“Black soil” dumped into a pond caused fish to die, and the contaminated land failed to support tree growth.
　　Recently, a reporter visited a hazardous waste landfill site in Xuezhuang Village, Zhangqiao Town, Taixing City. The site covers 10 mu and is covered with plastic sheeting, with iron railings enclosing its perimeter. The reporter observed that while the surrounding soil is typically yellow, the topsoil at this location is black; even after digging 50 centimeters deep with a shovel, “black soil” remained visible.
　　An investigating officer from the Taixing Municipal Public Security Bureau stated that in December 2017, authorities received public reports alleging that individuals were illegally burying chemical waste under the guise of agricultural land reclamation. Following an investigation, it was determined that, during two periods—April 25 to July 7 and December 5 to 7, 2017—Taixing Youlian Fine Chemical Co., Ltd. had contracted with third parties to dispose of its cyanamide‑containing chemical waste. These contractors then arranged for personnel to transport the waste to a ditch and pond in Group Five of Xuezhuang Village, Zhangqiao Town, where a total of 7,997.6 tons were buried.
　　A villager surnamed Wang from Guoqiao Village, Zhangqiao Town, said that along both sides of the nearby expressway there are numerous ditches and ponds. Since 2016, the village has reclaimed some of these water bodies. At the time, his family had not yet finished harvesting the fish from their 10-mu pond when trucks began secretly dumping “black soil” into it. As soon as this “black soil” was poured in, the pond bubbled as if boiling, and all the fish died. Some villagers suspect that this “black soil” is waste material hauled from nearby chemical plants.
　　Villagers from several villages in Zhangqiao Town repeatedly reported the issue to local environmental protection and public security authorities. Although the amount of “black soil” brought in subsequently decreased, large quantities of construction waste continued to be dumped on the site until the landfilling was finally brought to a close at the end of 2017.
　　According to the Technical Specifications for Hazardous Waste Identification and the Standards for Hazardous Waste Identification, cyanamide waste residue is classified as hazardous waste. An Hongyi, chief engineer of Yongqing Environmental Protection Co., Ltd., told reporters that cyanamide belongs to the cyanide family and is a highly toxic substance, making it one of the more serious pollutants in soil contamination. Local villagers reported having planted trees on the contaminated site, but none survived.
　　Zhu Jun, deputy mayor of Zhangqiao Town, stated that in addition to the hazardous waste landfill site already identified by public security authorities, seven other ditches and ponds are also suspected of having been used to bury cyanamide‑containing waste residues. Sampling and testing have now been commissioned to a specialized agency. According to investigators from the Taixing Municipal Public Security Bureau and the Environmental Protection Bureau, the total volume of cyanamide‑containing waste residues buried remains subject to further verification by an authoritative body.
　　Illegal disposal incurs virtually no cost, and village enterprises collude to evade regulatory oversight.
　　Which company was illegally dumping hazardous waste? According to Youlian Chemical’s official website, the company primarily manufactures pharmaceuticals and… Pesticide Intermediate.
　　According to the police investigation, Huang, a supervisor at Youlian Chemical, in order to address the company’s problem of overflowing waste‑slag storage facilities, obtained approval from legal representative Xu and subsequently engaged intermediary Wang to arrange for the disposal of cyanamide‑containing waste slag on two occasions, at disposal fees of RMB 11.5 and RMB 13.5 per ton, respectively.
　　The vast disparity between the costs of compliant and illegal disposal is what drives illicit actors to take extreme risks. According to the head of a hazardous waste‑treatment company, properly disposing of one ton of cyanamide‑containing waste requires several thousand yuan, whereas illegal landfilling costs only about ten yuan—meaning the cost difference between illegal and compliant treatment can be hundreds of times greater. Based on the 7,997.6 tons that have been verified, this could translate into savings of 20 to 30 million yuan.
　　Although the state has clear regulations on the landfilling of hazardous waste, the companies involved colluded with village officials to circumvent oversight. “The former Party Secretary of Xuezhuang Village, surnamed Yin, had a verbal agreement with an intermediary, surnamed Wang, tacitly allowing him to bring in ‘black soil’ for landfilling,” said an investigating police officer from the Taixing Municipal Public Security Bureau. The companies reportedly offered to pay as long as the village approved the disposal of hazardous waste, while reclaiming land by sourcing soil from elsewhere was both difficult and increasingly costly. Driven by profit, the village officials readily agreed.
　　Zhu Peng, a staff member of the Taixing Municipal Land and Resources Bureau, explained that land reclamation projects require only high-quality soil to be used for backfilling. However, given the large number of such projects, it is difficult for land‑resource officials to conduct comprehensive inspections. Even when inspections are carried out, they typically focus only on whether the surface is level, making it challenging to monitor the characteristics of materials buried at greater depths.
　　Subsequent safe disposal faces multiple challenges; penalties and accountability should be further strengthened.
　　In recent years, there have been frequent incidents in land‑reclamation projects across various regions involving the backfilling of construction waste, household garbage, and even chemical byproducts. Earlier this year, the former Jiangsu Provincial Department of Land and Resources issued a directive requiring that all topsoil used in such projects be accompanied by an expert appraisal report approved by the relevant authorities, detailing the source of the soil, its compositional characteristics, and the volume involved. Nevertheless, comprehensive, round‑the‑clock oversight remains difficult to achieve.
　　Zhu Peng believes that, in addressing the issue of industrial solid waste being illegally dumped in rural areas, it is essential to further enhance the environmental awareness and regulatory capacity of grassroots officials and to impose strict penalties and hold accountable those who violate the law. Moreover, local governments, environmental protection agencies, and land‑resource authorities should strengthen interagency coordination; when suspected cases of illegal dumping of industrial solid waste under the guise of land‑reclamation projects or other forms of environmental pollution are detected, they must promptly share information and take decisive action to curb such unlawful activities.
　　According to reports, the subsequent safe disposal of this illegal dumping of hazardous waste continues to face multiple challenges.
　　“A locally licensed company can process just over 6,000 tons per year, yet it cannot handle nearly 8,000 tons of hazardous waste within the available timeframe,” said Xiong Yaping, Party Secretary of Zhangqiao Town. He added that he has reached out to three licensed enterprises in Jiangsu Province, but all of them are operating at near‑maximum capacity and have no spare capacity; arranging interprovincial transport and disposal is even more challenging.
　　Xiong Yaping stated that, in accordance with relevant requirements, the Zhangqiao Town Government must complete the temporary storage and transfer of the aforementioned hazardous waste by the end of this year and finish its disposal by the end of March next year. Given the town’s limited fiscal capacity, it can currently only apply to the Taixing Municipal Government for an environmental protection public‑interest fund, with plans to seek reimbursement from the companies involved through subsequent litigation.

Author: Xinhua Net Editor: xwbj1