Trash to cash

Source:Xinhua-Global Times Published: 2019/7/14 16:18:39

Nation’s war on garbage creates market


Children learn waste sorting knowledge at a kindergarten in Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang Province on Thursday. Photo: VCG



Trash separation is the talk of the town in China these days after the government unveiled a list of 46 pilot cities in which to establish a garbage sorting and processing system by 2020.

Mandatory schemes on household garbage sorting have already emerged in metropolises across the country in order to improve recycling rates.

The city administration and law enforcement bureau of Guangzhou, capital of South China's Guangdong Province said Thursday that all residential communities in the seven districts of the city's downtown areas would be equipped with garbage sorting bins by the end of next year.

Meanwhile, the city will upgrade its garbage trucks and increase the frequency of garbage collections. It will publish routes of garbage trucks and complaint hotlines before Wednesday, to facilitate transparency and public involvement.

Earlier this month, Beijing announced it would follow Shanghai's lead on mandatory household garbage sorting.

On July 1, Shanghai was the first city in the country to launch such an effort. The city is promoting a mandatory garbage sorting system, which requires residents to throw away garbage at a fixed time and place.

For every 300 to 500 households, there is a designated garbage disposal site where volunteers carefully check whether the household waste is accurately sorted.

Domestic waste is required to be sorted into four categories: dry refuse, wet trash, recyclable waste and hazardous waste. Individuals who fail to sort garbage and refuse to comply can be fined up to 200 yuan ($29), and businesses and institutions could be fined up to 50,000 yuan.

By 2025, all Chinese cities at or above the prefecture level, totaling more than 300, shall complete the building of garbage sorting and processing systems, according to an official circular issued last month.

Moreover, an investment of 21.3 billion yuan will be allocated to speed up building the recycling system, according to the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development.

Many European enterprises, with their advanced technology and rich experience, have seen enormous markets and are eyeing a share in China's ongoing green efforts.

Drive to build eco-cities

Germany's ALBA group has brought one of its specialties to the southern Chinese city of Jieyang in Guangdong Province.

A complicated yet precise ingenuity was seen at one garbage processing plant.

After removing heavy metals, plastics, harmful waste, sand, rocks, water, step by step, recyclable substances were taken out, smashed and reshaped into fuel blocks.

"The unique technology turns household garbage into green fuel," said Chang Guang, project manager for the garbage processing plant, a joint venture of ALBA Group, Zhongde Metal Group and Guangdong Rising Assets Management Co.

Chang said the calorific value of the fuel block equals that of brown coal and can be used as alternative fuel in power or cement plants.

"It is more environmentally friendly. Compared to burning coal, our fuel block emits about 70 percent less CO2," Chang added.

The project has received support from the local government, as dealing with mountains of garbage has always been a headache for many cities, including Jieyang.

The daily total volume of garbage in the mid-sized Chinese city has rocketed from 600 tons in 2005 to 1,500 tons in 2018.

The plant, which started test runs in 2018, will be capable of handling 1,000 tons of garbage per day after completing its first phase of construction and 2,000 tons after the second phase.

Pei Albrecht, head of ALBA Group's China affairs, said many other cities have already shown interest in waste recycling technologies and the market potential in the coming years is beyond imagination.

"ALBA Group was invited to work out some plans for garbage disposal in cities like Taiyuan [in northern China]. They're determined to solve their problems," Pei said.

Commenting on China's trash recycling efforts, Jurijs Trosenko, a regional manager of Finnish company Solid Environmental Technologies, said China has started to tackle the problem before it becomes too critical.

He said it is good for the vast country to set an example for all developing countries.

Valuable European know-how

In Sweden, a small city called Hammerby, some 8 kilometers south of capital city Stockholm, has seen many Chinese delegations seeking advanced technologies in environmental protection in recent years.

Hammerby is now an eco-city model with large stretches of woods and lawns, as well as crystal clear rivers.

Some 30 years ago, the city was better known as "garbage city," as it was heavily polluted with household trash. 

As part of the city's reincarnation efforts, biodegradable plastic bags are in place for garbage sorting, and underground vacuum tubes were installed to send the sorted trash to different processing centers.

ENVAC Group, an enterprise that took part in this drive, also came to China to scope out business opportunities.

In March, ENVAC signed a contract with White Peak Real Estate to supply its system to a new, smart eco-community in China's eastern coastal city of Yantai.

"Sustainable development and environmental friendliness is the feature [of the eco-community]. We are trying to solve a myth that urbanization level is rising but people's sense of happiness is dipping," said Jesper Jos Olsson, president of White Peak Real Estate.

With an eye on China's green future, Chinese enterprises are investing big in relevant European businesses.

China Everbright International acquired NOVAGO Sp. Z o.o., a major Polish waste management firm, in 2016.

Established in 1992, NOVAGO is the largest independent waste treatment company in Poland.

NOVAGO's advanced waste-to-energy technologies, turning organic waste to methane and combustible waste to alternative fuel, are highly valued for the Chinese market.

The method will contribute to lessening dependence on traditional fossil fuels and help reduce the most harmful emissions, such as particulates, sulfur and ash, serving the crucial and ultimate goal of protecting the environment. 



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