Call for action on garbage besieging China's cities
Source: Xinhua |
July 20, 2013, Saturday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
EXPERTS called on the government and public to reduce, reuse and recycle as much waste as possible as official data showed more than a third of China's cities are besieged by garbage.
Only about 5 percent of some 1 billion tons of construction waste generated each year in the country is recycled or reused, said Wang Jiwei, secretary general of the China Association of Resource Comprehensive Utilization, at an ecological forum in southwest China's Guiyang City.
"The public still need to enhance their awareness of the importance of reusing garbage," he said. "They should realize waste is just misplaced resources."
Zheng Kangbin, senior economist at Asian Development Bank, told the forum: "People should take into consideration cost, cash flow, security and technical suitability in ecologically friendly projects, and attract more investment."
China could also learn from advanced foreign experiences in risk control and policy stipulation, Zheng said.
Eugene Chien, chairman of the Taiwan Institute for Sustainable Energy, said that, drawing from the island's experience, it is important to introduce multiple policies and measures to reduce garbage at source. Citizens should be educated and trained on green consumption and garbage treatment, he said.
Household garbage classification for collection has long been a headache for recycling. Many big cities, including Shanghai, pioneered garbage classification in 2000. Thirteen years later, though, the initiative has yet to get off the ground.
"With no precondition-garbage classification, following disposal methods will only be empty words," said Huang Xiaoshan, a garbage disposal campaigner who built a mini-trash treatment facility in his community in Beijing.
"We should set up a low-cost garbage classification system, which clarifies the responsibilities of the government, the public and companies," Huang said.
A China Youth Daily report yesterday cited a government survey showing that more than a third of the country's cities are besieged by garbage, with dumped rubbish taking up 50,000 hectares of land.
Insufficient recycling has been blamed as a major reason behind the mounting garbage.
The World Bank said in a report last year that global cities faced surging costs for garbage treatment as it predicted a sharp rise in the amount of rubbish generated by urban residents.
China is aiming to offer non-hazardous treatment on more than 80 percent of the country's household garbage by 2015.
Only about 5 percent of some 1 billion tons of construction waste generated each year in the country is recycled or reused, said Wang Jiwei, secretary general of the China Association of Resource Comprehensive Utilization, at an ecological forum in southwest China's Guiyang City.
"The public still need to enhance their awareness of the importance of reusing garbage," he said. "They should realize waste is just misplaced resources."
Zheng Kangbin, senior economist at Asian Development Bank, told the forum: "People should take into consideration cost, cash flow, security and technical suitability in ecologically friendly projects, and attract more investment."
China could also learn from advanced foreign experiences in risk control and policy stipulation, Zheng said.
Eugene Chien, chairman of the Taiwan Institute for Sustainable Energy, said that, drawing from the island's experience, it is important to introduce multiple policies and measures to reduce garbage at source. Citizens should be educated and trained on green consumption and garbage treatment, he said.
Household garbage classification for collection has long been a headache for recycling. Many big cities, including Shanghai, pioneered garbage classification in 2000. Thirteen years later, though, the initiative has yet to get off the ground.
"With no precondition-garbage classification, following disposal methods will only be empty words," said Huang Xiaoshan, a garbage disposal campaigner who built a mini-trash treatment facility in his community in Beijing.
"We should set up a low-cost garbage classification system, which clarifies the responsibilities of the government, the public and companies," Huang said.
A China Youth Daily report yesterday cited a government survey showing that more than a third of the country's cities are besieged by garbage, with dumped rubbish taking up 50,000 hectares of land.
Insufficient recycling has been blamed as a major reason behind the mounting garbage.
The World Bank said in a report last year that global cities faced surging costs for garbage treatment as it predicted a sharp rise in the amount of rubbish generated by urban residents.
China is aiming to offer non-hazardous treatment on more than 80 percent of the country's household garbage by 2015.
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