The Zhejiang provincial government recently held a work conference during which officials provided a summary of the province's overall performance in environmental protection in 2021.

PM2.5 (particulate matter with a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometers) densities in the 11 Zhejiang cities at or above prefecture-level stood at 26 micrograms per cubic meter on average throughout 2021, down 4 percent from the year before.

The sources of drinking water for Zhejiang regions at or above county-level have all passed the water quality test.

The general public's satisfaction with the environment saw a rise in the 2021 survey for the 10th straight year.

Zhejiang has also made significant progress restoring ecosystems, adding 180-kilometer-long riparian and lakeside buffer strips and five newly-discovered species.

In November 2021, Zhejiang released the nation's first "waste-free index". The index looks at nine indicators, such as the intensity of industrial solid waste generation, amount of per capita household garbage, and the intensity of construction waste generation. The separate index for each locality in Zhejiang has been published on a digital governance platform, enabling government officials to make quantitative analysis in real time and improve their policy-making accordingly.

Volunteers clean a lake at the Luoshui wetland in Deqing, Huzhou city, Zhejiang province, in April 2021. WANG ZHENG/FOR CHINA DAILY