Capital turning to improved garbage treatment methods
Beijing’s current garbage disposal capacity basically matches the total output of the city’s household waste, according to the Beijing Municipal Commission of City Management.
The daily output of household waste in Beijing was about 24,700 metric tons in 2017, while the total capacity of all kinds of garbage disposal facilities was close to 25,000 tons per day, said Zhang Yuesheng, deputy director of the Division for Environmental and Sanitary Facilities at the Beijing Municipal Commission of City Management.
Currently, there are three main disposal methods to deal with household waste: incineration, sanitary landfill and bio-disposal. The city is now capable of dealing with about 15,200 tons daily through incineration and bio-disposal; the rest goes to landfills, Zhang said.
Beijing has adjusted the disposal methods and expanded its waste incineration and bio-disposal capacity since 2017, he said.
Before 2035, “Beijing aims to no longer dispose garbage in sanitary landfills,” Zhang said, adding that incineration is preferable to landfills both economically and environmentally, as it can increase resource utilization by generating electricity and supplying heat for residents, as well as saving land.
In addition, waste incineration technology in Beijing is now relatively advanced and environmentally friendly, dealing in a timely, comprehensive manner with waste, fly ash and odor. The government is supervising the related enterprises, he added.
Beijing considers the disposal of household garbage a crucial project concerning people’s quality of life, and the city government has been making great efforts to deal with those waste materials without harming the environment, said Feng Xiangpeng, director of the
Beijing aims to no longer dispose garbage in sanitary landfills (before 2035).”
Zhang Yuesheng, deputy director of the Division for Environmental and Sanitary Facilities at the Beijing Municipal Commission of City Management
Division for Solid Waste Management at the Beijing Municipal Commission of City Management.
To popularize its garbage classification practices, in which citizens sort out kitchen waste and recyclable items from other garbage, Beijing has carried out rating activities since 2017 to select demonstration communities in garbage sorting from the 16 districts, he said.
Feng said that they hope that all the citizens will join in the classifying work, and if the residents adopt the garbage classification at home, it will reduce waste treatment costs significantly, and will be of great benefit to the establishment of a resource-saving and environmentally friendly society.
With around 27.1 million residents, Beijing generated a total of 9.02 million tons of household waste in 2017. Household waste increases every year, according to Feng.