Waste Management in China: Issues and Recommendations
Word bank
No country has ever experienced as large or as fast an increase in solid waste quantities that China is now facing. In 2004 China surpassed the United States as the world’s largest waste generator, and by 2030 China’s annual solid waste quantities will increase by another 150% - growing from about 190,000,000 tons in 2004 to over 480,000,000 tons in 2030. The social, financial,andenvironmental impacts of this growing waste stream are significant. All aspects of China’s waste management system are undergoing wholesale changes as government tries to respond to the challenge.
China needs to move up the “waste management hierarchy” promoting waste minimization, reuse and recycling, before other waste disposal methods are pursued. However, even with aggressive waste diversion activities China’s future waste disposal needs are enormous. For example China’s cities will need to develop an additional 1400 landfills over the next 20 years.
This paper contributes to China’s municipal solid waste discussions by presenting updated and relatively accurate projections of municipal waste quantities and composition.Key trends are documented and possible responses are proposed.
For the full version, please click here:
