垃圾处理存在的问题

(本文为大概文本,并非与视频完全一致!)

China has set an ambitious target of being able to treat 100 percent of the country's refuse as non hazardous waste by 2030.

In order to kick start the process, the central government is urging people to sort their rubbish out at home. Shen Le tries to find out just how practical the proposal is.

Located in a suburban area of the city, this processing unit handles thousands of tons of garbage everyday. You can find almost everything in people's junk from tin cans to decomposed onions.

At a local residential compound, most people say they don't know how to sort the garbage.

A Beijing resident said, "I know sorting is good. But I have no idea how to do that, so I'll just put all wastes in a bag."

"I will sort garbage only when it's made easy for me. If it takes a long time I'd rather save the trouble. Besides, I don't think people have been well informed as to how to do it," said a Beijing resident.

The central government is urging people to sort their rubbish out at home.

Even if garbage has been well sorted, the sheer amount alone can be a challenge.

Shen Le said, "According to the Municipal Government, Beijing's 20 million people generates 20 thousand tons of trash everyday. How to deal with these garbage has become a pressing issue for local authorities."

To find out a possible solution. We went to Beijing Key Lab for Municipal Solid Waste Utilization and Management. Professor Liu is deputy director of the lab and also one of the leading expert in this field. He tells us the biggest problem lies with administration.

Prof. Liu Yangsheng, deputy director of Beijing Key Lab for MSW, said, "Currently, industrial and commercial department is in charge of waste recycling, the Development and Reform Commission manages waste re-utilization, which are essentially the same thing. And when it comes to law enforcement, four different Ministries all have the power to issue penalties. It's confusing, and for the departments, it's much easier to shift responsibilities."

The professor says the best way to deal with solid waste in cities varies, depending on local conditions.

Prof. Liu said, "For big cities like Beijing and Shanghai, incineration may be a better idea. They can afford the method and it also generates power. But for provincial capitals and even smaller cities, burying is still a much cheaper solution. However, the burial grounds should be carefully selected so they don't cause pollution to rivers and ground water."

The professor says as more people move from the countryside to cities, the population will generate more garbage, and land for burying garbage will become more expensive. This means the cities will have to rely more on incineration to deal their urban wastes.