BEIJING, April 28 (Xinhua) -- Experts
say China's waste management industry is
heading toward prosperity, as relevant
annual output value growth rate in the
coming two to three years might hit 30
percent.
"In the coming two to three years, the
waste management sector will encounter a
booming period as the government
continues to make efforts to strengthen
waste management," said Hou Yuxuan, a
researcher with an affiliated Web site
of the China Investment Corporation.
The State Council, China's Cabinet,
recently approved proposals by 16
ministries on strengthening the work of
urban domestic garbage management
companies.
A report from China Solid Waste Net
shows that by 2015, China's annual urban
refuse output will reach 184 million
tonnes, of which 82 percent will go
through treatment to make it less
environmentally harmful.
Xiao Qiong, a researcher with the China
Solid Waste Net, said, "China's
investment in refuse treatment
facilities will reach 170 billion yuan
by the end of 2015, at least double the
amount invested from 2005 to 2010."
The expanding construction of refuse
treatment facilities will help promote
the marketization of the industry and
attract more investment from companies
both at home and abroad, said Hou.
China's waste management approach will
gradually switch from putting refuse in
landfills to incinerating it, in order
to reduce environmental impact. By the
end of 2015, incinerated waste will
account for 35 percent of China's total
managed waste, said Xiao.
Currently, waste in China is processed
via landfills, incinerators and
composting facilities. Landfill
currently accounts for 85 percent of
refuse, while incineration accounts for
17 percent.
Many cities in China, including Dalian
and Xiamen, are constructing large
incinerators. Beijing plans to build
nine large-scale incinerators by the end
of 2015.
The country's first refuse incinerating
plant which is able to handle 2,000
tonnes of refuse each day went into
service in February this year in the
city of Wuxi in east China's Jiangsu
Province.
Waste recovery is also a focus of the
proposals brought by the 16 ministries.
Recycling rates in urban areas are
required to hit 30 percent, and some
municipalities and provincial capitals
are being asked to bring that number to
50 percent.
China's recycling industry has been
expanding rapidly. Statistics show that
in 2009, China recycled 140 million
tonnes of refuse. This recycling
resulted in 500 billion yuan in value.
Experts say that new policies,
technologies and information are the
three factors that affect the
development of China's recycling
industry.
It is estimated that China loses as much
as 30 billion yuan as the result of poor
waste management each year. However, if
new waste management procedures and
techniques are put into place, it is
believed that the country can reap
economic benefits of at least 250
billion yuan annually.