CRI听力: Chinese Experts Call for Concrete Measures to Deal with Trash Problem

Environmental experts here in China are warning that while new plans to try to get people in the cities to sort their trash is laudable, the main area of concern remains this country's vast countryside.

Yunfeng explains.

Growing piles of trash are a nuisance for many big Chinese cities.

The capital city of Beijing, with its 17 million residents, generates more than 18,000 tons of waste every day.

Now the city government is encouraging residents in 600 communities to sort out their domestic trash for collection and transportation. By the end of this year, the city wants to make all its domestic waste undergo an effective treatment process, which will deal with the trash in various ways after first classifying it.

Wang Youchang, a member of the All-China Environment Federation, praises the move.

"After classifying the trash, we can more easily determine what measures should be taken to treat them. Thus the trash, sorted out in different categories, can be recycled, buried or burned accordingly. I think that by this way, we can improve the effectiveness of trash treatment and reduce environmental pollution."

At present, most of Chinese cities choose to bury their trash underground. But some of them are facing a shortage of landfills as the amount of trash accumulates so quickly.

Meanwhile, some environmental experts argue that the problem is more serious in the country's rural areas.

Nie Yongfeng is an environmental researcher from Tsinghua University.

"It's very urgent for the countryside to collect its trash together and then take necessary measures to treat it. You know, waste is scattered all around in some villages. It's time for rural residents to form a good habit of putting trash together in one place."

As a rapid developing economy, China is generating trash at a pace similar to its eye-catching economic growth rate.

The country's total trash output amounted to 180 million tons last year, expanding by 8 to 10 percent annually. Experts have predicted that the pace will continue over the next several years.

For CRI, I'm Yunfeng.