Hazardous waste as a global issue closely links environmental pollution, public health, resource sustainability, and social governance. Its rapid increase and distinct drawbacks have threatened our eco-civilized planet. The Drivers-Pressures-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR) framework can demonstrate how cultural, political, and economic behavior varies in an anthropogenic system. In this review, we use this systematic framework to examine China’s hazardous waste management venture and uncover the fundamental theory of man-land relationship. The key drivers (e.g., policy, technology, industry, and socioeconomic incentives) are equipped in a shareable manner, and these drivers can affect waste trends in each region depending on population size and industry level. However, pressure for the achievement of sustainable development goals is yielded by the drivers of industrialization and improper hazardous waste management. In China, the state of hazardous waste generation increased from 9.74 Mt (1Mt = 10⁹kg) in 1998 to 75 Mt in 2018. During 2001-2017, the comprehensive utilization, disposal, and storage ranged from 5-20 Mt, 2-15 Mt, and 3-10 Mt, respectively. Human and environmental impacts can be seen through the changing state of waste generation and handling. As a response, China has led the world to hazardous waste management and recovery lineups through resource efficiency and recycling. Finally, we also try to draw a coherent roadmap for future direction and associated policies.

Industrial waste is the byproduct of many industrial processes. Estimating the recycling potential of industrial waste can help solve the anthropogenic circularity conundrum. Here we employed the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) to verify GDP as a route to "amplified resource efficiency". The results provide substantial evidence for an inverted U and N relationship between the hypothesized GDPPC and industrial waste generation. During 2011–2025, the recycling potential in China showed a downward trend. China is projected to experience a dramatic increase in the production of industrial hazardous waste until the successful implementation of industrial hazardous waste prevention measures reverses the current trends. The turning point of the EKC between industrial waste generation and economic development is around US$8000, while the comprehensive utilization is 102.22 million tons. The EKC inflection points established by the study are correlated with the waste category’s turning point. The revised EKC claims that technological change may accelerate the turning points; thus, the graph shifts downward and right. The study recommends investing in new technology development to help the industry produce virgin and recycled industrial waste for a circular economy. Recycling potential evaluation also assists us to achieve our Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Natural resource depletion and increased mining waste pose significant challenges to global sustainability efforts. This study investigates the processability of mining waste during the metal recovery stage to evaluate its potential contribution to anthropogenic circularity. The mining industry, abundant in valuable metals that are crucial for a carbon-neutral economy, plays a pivotal role in this context. We determine the grades of metals by looking at their chemical makeup, and then we use statistical entropy to model how easy it is to process certain waste materials. This provides us with processability measures that range from 0.19 bit to 1.18 bit. Our findings highlight that while some waste contains “abundant” metals, its complexity may diminish its economic value, raising concerns about its environmental impacts and resource availability at the end-of-life stages. Estimating potential revenue involves multiplying processed amounts by commodity prices, revealing a maximum value of 8.73 USD/metric ton for processed waste. This assessment underscores the importance of integrating circular economy principles, aiming to mitigate environmental damage and promote industrial ecology. By advancing our understanding of mining waste management through rigorous scientific inquiry, this study contributes to sustainable resource utilization strategies that are essential for future industrial practices and environmental stewardship.