A court in Eastern China has sentenced several workers of a chemical company including its contractors to jail and imposed a fine of ¥75 million (around $12 million) on the company for the illegal disposal of chemical waste materials, according to AP.

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South China Morning Post reported that Longyou county court has ordered Jinfanda Biochemical Co. to shell out the largest fine for a pollution in Zhejiang province. The company makes glyphosate which is used for killing weeds. Longyou authorities allege that Jinfanda sort the services of four ill-equipped contractor companies, who illegally discharged over 35,000 tons of hazardous materials into the local water sources. 

Zhejiang is among the richest areas in China, but it is also one of the most polluted provinces in the country.

Authorities said the conviction and fine was concluded after a long trial. The court found 18 of the defendants guilty and handed them various prison sentences ranging from 17 months to six years. The guilty parties were also liable to pay individual fines ranging from ¥10,000 up to ¥1 million. Jinfanda is yet to make an official comment with regards to the fine and conviction.

China's natural environment has been ravaged by the country's economic rise and aggravated by the authorities' inability to enforce the law. But that is about to change as the country's leaders vowed to protect China's environment and bring to justice those who would pollute the soil, water, and air, according to CCTV America.

Last year, a Jiangsu province court imposed a fine of ¥160 million against six companies for illegally dumping chemical waste in local rivers. Until now, it was the country's biggest fine for environmental pollution.

In April this year, a popular fastfood  supplier based in Beijing was ordered to pay around ¥3.8 million for improperly discharging its dirty waste materials.

Tagshazardous chemicals, Chinese economy news, Chinese laws, polluters in China, Jinfanda Biochemical Co.