Taking out the trash is a problem in China

China has been in the headlines lately for their push for green energy and green technology. However, they haven’t applied that green gusto at home when it comes to taking out the trash.

Guangzhou in the Panyu district is facing the same problems of other large Chinese cities: a growing population, exhausted landfill sites, no waste reduction programs. The city was selected by the government to be the home of a new trash incinerator that would serve 2.5 million residents by burning 2,000 tons of trash daily.

Incinerators are a common method of waste treatment with sixty of them operating in the country and one hundred in the works. They are effective when it comes to getting rid of trash but they are woefully inefficient. China’s national standards on dioxin emissions are ten times that of the US and 70% of incinerators are below EU standards. One incinerator was built in nearby Likeng village in 2005. Residents reported a spike in cancer cases and many go outside the village to get their drinking water. Guangzhou residents feared that the arrival of the incinerator would create a similar situation. A poll found that 97% opposed the plant and 92% felt that the burning trash would harm their health.

Citizens don’t question the government in China. It’s not just simply frowned upon, it can be outright smothered. Citizens organized an anti-incinerator protest outside government offices earlier this week asking for what one participant called “transparency in policy decisions.” Some were reporting the situation on their cell phones via Twitter, others were wearing face masks to hide their identity from the police, but nearly all of them were middle class.

The 300 million strong group has become more aware of green issues as property ownership and pay rates increase. Home values in the area took a dive after the government announced plans for the incinerator. One protester, identified only by her surname Zhang added,

"They moved to Panyu because they thought it was cleaner. We had no idea the government was building the incinerator. It was all kept secret from the public. How can they do this? The government is supposed to serve the people."

The protest ended peacefully with a promise by the government to perform an environmental assessment of the incinerator as well as a guffaw inducing claim that they will “solicit public opinion.” Whatever the outcome, China is facing a trash strewn future that must be dealt with in some manner. Perhaps all of the money they are investing in technology like solar energy can be harnessed into solving this dirty little problem.