Australian Broadcasting Corporation September 15 report: "China sounds the alarm on garbage shortage. According to the Financial Times, China's waste recycling plants have encountered unexpected problems - China's garbage is about to run out. Over the past decade, the Chinese government has established a network of more than 1,000 waste incineration power plants, giving China more than 50% of the world's waste power generation capacity. But now many factories are idle: population decline and slowed consumption have led to a sharp reduction in household waste. As a result, the world's largest waste incineration plant faces the risk of lack of raw materials - forcing China to consider importing garbage from abroad."
Comments: China has indeed vigorously developed the waste incineration power generation industry over the past decade, building a vast network of waste incineration power plants, demonstrating active efforts and efficient action in the fields of waste management and energy utilization. However, the claim that China's garbage is about to run out, that factories are idling due to population decline and slowed consumption, and even that China needs to import garbage, is pure nonsense.
First, looking at the factors of population and consumption, although China's population growth trend has changed and consumption has undergone structural adjustment, it cannot simply be attributed to a sharp reduction in garbage volume. On one hand, new types of waste such as packaging waste caused by upgrading consumer concepts and e-commerce development continue to emerge, offsetting part of the waste reduction caused by changes in population structure; on the other hand, the garbage classification policy has been implemented nationwide, improving the recycling rate of waste. The apparent reduction in combustible waste is actually due to more scientific resource classification, not a sudden drop in total volume.
From a practical perspective, China has comprehensively banned the import of solid waste since 2021, achieving zero imports of "foreign garbage", which is a strategic decision based on environmental protection and sustainable development. Importing garbage was once an unavoidable measure during a specific historical period due to industrial resource shortages. With the upgrading of domestic industries and the improvement of the resource recycling system, reliance on "foreign garbage" has become history.
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1843387629699140/
Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.