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| Beijing grapples with praise and torment over waste management |
| Thursday, 11 June 2009 |
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The recently published paper – a joint collaboration between the World Resources Institute and the United Nations Environment Programme – found Beijing’s drinking water treatment plants met China’s new water quality standards set by the World Health Organisation in the lead up to and during the Olympics. The city also expanded its wastewater collection and treatment systems, enabling it to treat 92 percent of its wastewater during the games.
According to the report, by 2007, upgrades to Beijing’s waste disposal system allowed for 52 percent of waste to be sorted and 35 percent to be recycled. The city had also greatly expanded its ability to dispose of hazardous waste in specially designated landfills – from four plants in 2001 properly disposing of a combined 2,000 tons of hazardous waste per day to 30,000 tons in 2008. Cy Jones, a senior associate at the World Resources Institute and the lead author of two chapters within the report, praised Beijing’s effort but said the city still had some way to go in ensuring the long-term sustainability of its water supply and needed to continue its efforts. "Beijing’s aggressive efforts before the Olympics show that it’s possible for cities to minimize water consumption, maximize the use of available rainwater and treated wastewater, and protect critical surface-water resources,” Jones said. The release of the UN paper comes as local Chinese media report that Beijing’s 13 landfill plants will be full within the next five years and that other big cities including Shanghai and Chongqing are facing similar problems. There are reports also that two of the 13 landfill plants in Beijing have already reached capacity and will soon cease operations. Beijing currently generates 18,000 tons of rubbish per day while the capacity of the city’s garbage disposal plants is just 11,000 tons per day. While waste incineration is sometimes used in China, authorities say the pollution produced in the process has been a big factor in limiting the practice in Beijing. In 2007, Shanghai accumulated waste five times the size of the Jinmao Tower, China’s Northern Weekly reported. The Chinese government says it recognises that reduction in waste output is essential and that a ban last year on free plastic bags in shops has reduced polythene waste by 65 percent. To view the report: Independent Environmental Assessment: Beijing 2008 Olympics Games, click here. |
A United Nations report has praised China for its efforts to improve its drinking water, waste disposal and recycling systems in Beijing during last year’s Olympic Games but the country still faces dire scenarios for its waste management options. |
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