Zhejiang releases nation's first waste-free index

Zhejiang authorities released the "waste-free index" at a work conference on the "waste-free cities" campaign on Nov 24.

Zhejiang scored 76.17 points in the index.

According to an official at the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Ecology and Environment, the index measures the province's achievements made in the "waste-free cities" campaign. The index takes into account nine indicators such as the intensity of industrial solid waste generation, per capita household garbage amount, and the intensity of construction waste generation.

Zhejiang launched the "waste-free cities" campaign in early 2020, becoming the first Chinese province to do so. The province is aiming to have all Zhejiang cities at or above prefecture-level and over half of its county-level regions become "waste-free" by the end of 2023.

The separate index for each locality in Zhejiang has been published on a digital governance platform, enabling government officials to make quantitative analysis in real time and improve their policy-making accordingly.