Reuters AlertNet Lite - China faces ticking rubbish time-bomb

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China faces ticking rubbish time-bomb - paper

09 Jan 2007 06:31:55 GMT
Source: Reuters

BEIJING, Jan 9 (Reuters) - China will sink under the weight of its own rubbish within 13 years as millions of rural dwellers migrate to more affluent urban areas, state media reported on Tuesday.

By 2020 the nation's garbage pile would reach 400 million tonnes, the weight of the world's entire load in 1997, the China Daily said.

"China's urban areas will generate the maximum amount of garbage its cities can handle in another 13 years," the paper said, citing the China Council for International Cooperation and Development (CCICD), a government environmental watchdog.

About 860 million people would be living in cities by 2020, straining an already overburdened urban waste disposal system, the daily said.

It said about 70 percent of China's urban waste went into landfills, and 30 percent into making fertiliser, but only half could be treated environmentally.

The rising tide of waste would render large tracts of land useless, cause air, surface and water pollution through toxic emissions and spark "explosions".

The CCICD called for better waste management through clearer garbage classification and public education.

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Last updated:Tue Jan 9 06:32:51 2007