China aims to have all its cities adopt zero-waste strategies nationwide by 2035, establishing a sustainable and comprehensive solid waste management system across the country, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment said on Tuesday.

For a short-term objective, China aims to expand its zero-waste city pilot program to cover 60 percent of the country by 2027, achieving significant reductions in solid waste generation intensity, according to Vice Minister of Ecology and Environment Li Gao at a press conference in Beijing.

"During the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030), [we will] further advance the construction of zero-waste cities by expanding them to about 200, and make efforts to promote the joint construction of regional zero-waste cities in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, the Yangtze River Delta, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, the Yangtze River Midstream City Cluster, and the Chengdu-Chongqing region," he said.

In 2019, 11 cities and five areas in China were selected to pilot waste-free programs that place a dual emphasis on reducing trash at the source and increasing recycling.

Under the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025), China has designated 113 prefecture-level cities and eight special regions to advance zero-waste construction. More than 3,000 solid-waste management projects have been implemented with an investment of approximately 560 billion yuan (about 80 billion U.S. dollars).

China defines a "zero-waste city" not as one that produces no waste, but as an urban model that minimizes landfill through green production and lifestyles, source-level reduction and resource recovery, driving solid waste impacts as low as possible.