From Chinese Press

Garbage disposal a real problem

(China Daily)
Updated: 2010-11-04 07:57

Garbage has become a big problem in most Chinese cities. People have begun a heated debate on the best and most efficient way of disposing waste, which is divided mainly between "for" and "against" incineration, says an article in Huaxi Metropolis Daily. Excerpts:

Large and medium-sized cities have been trying to find the best and most environmentally friendly way of disposing waste. Many cities want to realize a win-win situation of disposing waste in an incinerator and generating electricity from it.

Practice shows that garbage can be reduced by 20 percent by burning, and the heat it produces can generate electricity. But the problem is that burning waste is not as safe as we think. The incineration technology is still immature, and the toxic substances incinerators discharge are harmful to the environment and human health.

The discharge of toxic substances and pollution of air, water and soil can be reduced if recyclable and non-recyclable substances are separated before garbage is put into incinerators or buried in dumps. But Chinese people do not take the trouble of separating them even at home. And it is doubtful whether waste disposal agencies do it efficiently, either.

Given the situation, implementing the incinerator project hastily would be like taking a "great leap forward". Let us first make efforts to do the groundwork of garbage collection and separation of recyclable and non-recyclable substances at source. Otherwise, we cannot implement the project of incinerators, which requires high technology and high professional ethics.

(China Daily 11/04/2010 page9)