Procuratorial organs across China have filed over 670,000 public interest litigation cases during the past five years, Hu Weilie, a senior prosecutor with the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP), said at a press conference on Monday. 

With the handling of the cases, an approximate total of 7.86 million mu (about 524,000 hectares) of damaged farmlands, forests, wetlands and grasslands have been restored, over 45.8 million tonnes of household and solid waste has been recycled or cleared, with 9.35 billion yuan (about $1.4 billion) recovered for ecological restoration, the Hu said. 

Meanwhile, approximately 1.82 million kilograms of counterfeit and poor-quality food and 60,000 kg of counterfeit and smuggled drugs have been confiscated, he said.

China began to institute public interest litigation on July 1, 2017, after the country's top legislature incorporated the practice into law by passing amendments to civil and administrative procedure laws. 

Over the past five years, the SPP has adhered to a people-centered approach and strived to solve problems concerning people's livelihoods, Hu said. The SPP has launched various supervision campaigns focusing on areas including the ecological environment, food and drug safety, and workplace safety, he noted. 

(With input from Xinhua)