A hand-holding walkthrough to complete the full "plant build + collection & disposal" licensing (based on a 30 t/d project)
Set up a project company. The business scope must include: "collection, transport and disposal services for food waste (including waste cooking oil)" and "environmental-protection equipment", etc. — list as comprehensively as possible, since adding scope later is more troublesome.
Enterprise-investment projects follow a filing (record) system: register a company account on the National Online Project Approval & Supervision Platform, file the project (a 30 t/d food-waste treatment project) and obtain a project code. Later EIA, planning and other procedures all use this code.
For owned industrial land: verify the land use is compatible (usually industrial land). For leased land: sign a lease and confirm land-use compliance with the natural-resources department. If new buildings/structures are needed, apply for a Construction Project Planning Permit.
A 30 t/d food-waste project generally requires an EIA report form (some cities require a full EIA report; per the local Classification Directory for Construction Project EIA). Engage a qualified EIA institute → accepted by the ecology & environment department → public notice → approval.
Apply after EIA approval and before discharge. The food-waste treatment industry is generally registered as key or simplified management under the pollutant-discharge permit (per the industry directory); file online on the National Pollutant Discharge Permit Management Information Platform and obtain the permit after review.
This is the most critical step. Food-waste collection, transport and disposal are municipal public utilities operated under a franchise or licensed operation. Two common paths:
Path A (government tender): the local urban-management bureau / county government runs a government procurement or franchise tender for the food-waste collection/disposal project → register at the public-resources trading center → bid evaluation → sign a Franchise Agreement → the operating permit is then issued under it. Subsidy rates, collection scope and term are all set in the agreement.
Path B (filing license): in some regions, a Food Waste Collection, Transport & Disposal Service Permit is issued directly to the enterprise upon application to the urban-management bureau, after on-site verification of the site, equipment and vehicles.
Purchase sealed food-waste collection trucks (blue/yellow plate by tonnage) → register and plate the vehicle → apply for a road-transport operating permit as needed (ask locally whether self-owned self-haul is exempt) → some cities require vehicles to connect to a smart sanitation monitoring platform (GPS tracking, online collection ledgers).
Safety and fire facilities must be designed, constructed and put into use simultaneously with the main works. After equipment installation and commissioning acceptance, invite the urban-management and ecology-environment departments for on-site verification and obtain commissioning confirmation.
Sign collection agreements with the urban-management bureau / catering units, set up the ledger and joint-waybill system, connect to the monitoring platform, and begin collection and disposal. Treatment subsidies are settled monthly at the per-ton unit price set in the franchise agreement.
Basically no. Food-waste collection and disposal is a municipal franchise project that must be applied for as an enterprise, and most regions require registered capital, site, vehicles and EIA to be in place. Individuals should first set up a company, then negotiate the franchise with the local urban-management bureau.
No. Collecting and disposing of food waste (incl. gutter oil) without a permit is jointly penalized by urban-management and market-regulation authorities, and may incur environmental legal liability. The correct order: register the company → EIA → obtain the permit → then collect.
Conventional construction requires compliant industrial land and a planning permit. With a skid-mounted integrated unit, a hardened yard plus simple enclosure suffices, greatly simplifying land procedures and making later relocation easier. A 30 t/d skid solution occupies ~80–120 m².
Subsidy amounts vary greatly by region (depending on finances, oil yield and competition) and are subject to the franchise agreement negotiation; no verbal commitment can serve as a decision basis. It is recommended to also model crude-oil sales and carbon-source/organic-fertilizer resource revenue to reduce reliance on subsidies.
The equipment supplier can help: ① free EIA process documentation; ② approval templates already proven on similar projects; ③ engineers for on-site verification when needed. End-to-end project coordination to help you avoid detours.