SHANGHAI, PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA - (May 15, 2003) On May 13, 2003, the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) awarded a $204,900 feasibility study grant to the Shanghai Environmental Protection Bureau (SEPB) to assist in constructing a centralized medical waste treatment facility in the Municipality of Shanghai. The Consul General at the U.S. Consulate in Shanghai, Mr. Douglas Spelman, signed the grant agreement on behalf of USTDA. Mr. Zhang Quan, Vice Director of SEPB, signed on behalf of the Grantee. The newly appointed SEPB Director, Dr. Xu Zuxin, was also present at the ceremony.

SEPB, along with other related agencies in China, is setting up an integrated management control program for medical waste that includes collection and secure transportation systems and a central treatment and disposal facility. The proposed facility will promote centralized management and control of medical waste in Shanghai and lower the economic and social costs of medical waste pollution control. In addition, the facility will reduce risks and pollution caused by the illegal transportation, recycling and disposal of medical waste, and will improve environmental quality and sanitary conditions in Shanghai.

The construction of the system and facilities will be completed through a phased approach. Phase I, with a proposed capacity of 9,000 tons per year, would service 500 square kilometers in Shanghai. Phase II would add an additional 9,000 tons per year of treatment and disposal capacity and would service an additional 1,000 square kilometers in Shanghai and surrounding suburban areas. The estimated budget for construction of the facility is $10.5 million. Although this project has been under development for some time, China's fight against SARS has cast a spotlight on the need for improved hospital waste collection and treatment management.

The USTDA-funded study will review Shanghai's current medical waste policy and management system; examine and categorize the municipality's waste stream; and analyze alternative methods for collecting, transporting, treating, and disposing of medical waste in Shanghai. The opportunity for interested U.S. firms to bid on the contract to perform the feasibility study will be advertised on the Federal Business Opportunities website (www.fedbizopps.gov).

The U.S. Trade and Development Agency advances economic development and U.S. commercial interests in developing and middle-income countries. The agency funds various forms of technical assistance, feasibility studies, training, orientation visits and business workshops that support the development of a modern infrastructure and a fair and open trading environment. USTDA's strategic use of foreign assistance funds to support sound investment policy and decision-making in host countries creates an enabling environment for trade, investment and sustainable economic development. In carrying out its mission, USTDA gives emphasis to economic sectors that may benefit from U.S. exports of goods and services.

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