Beijing Businesses Now Need a Permit to Pollute

The capital recently handed out its first ‘pollution discharge permit’ to a Tongzhou-based company. This is the first step in Beijing’s new system which requires businesses to obtain permits to emit pollution. 

The new system started being put in place by the China's State Council back in November. It is expected that all Beijing businesses will hold the new pollution permits by 2020. Before the new rule, the pollution companies were allowed to emit was dictated by formal environmental impact assessments.

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The companies that will be the first to receive the new permits are thermal power plants, paper mills and any factory with a chimney measuring over 45 meters in height. 

All permits have a QR code, which shows the company’s address, pollution information and emission location.