Sanitary worker fined and jailed for improper disposal of toxic substance

A Shanghai sanitary worker was sentenced to five months in prison and fined 5,000 yuan ($727) for improper disposal of leachate into the rainwater drainage system.

Leachate is a toxic liquid formed by precipitation percolating through waste.

The dry garbage truck driver, surnamed Zheng, was found guilty of discharging leachate from compressed garbage into roadside rainwater wells several times since August last year.

The stench of the leachate was first noticed by residents who later reported the matter to the authorities. Zheng was then caught after the relevant departments monitored activity around the rainwater wells.

According to the Shanghai Railway Transport Procuratorate, which in January brought a suit against Zheng for environmental pollution, the dry garbage truck has been responsible for transporting dry waste collected from an industrial park in Shanghai’s Qingpu district since 2016.

Investigations showed that Zheng had committed the act in order to meet the new requirements for water content in dry garbage that were introduced last year.