Pursuing sustainability: China progresses in developing 'waste-free cities'
China is progressing in its initiative to create 'waste-free cities' as part of its environmental efforts. The country is implementing various strategies and technologies aimed at reducing waste and promoting sustainable urban living. With a focus on minimizing landfill use and enhancing recycling efforts, these developments are a crucial step toward a more eco-friendly future.
TroibNews 
Six years later, China has achieved significant progress with its "waste-free city" initiatives, planning to establish over 3,700 such projects with an investment exceeding 1 trillion yuan during the 14th Five-Year Plan period, according to China's Ministry of Ecology and Environment.
In 2019, 11 cities and five regions were chosen to pilot waste-free projects, focusing on minimizing solid waste generation at the source and enhancing recycling efforts. Currently, 113 cities and eight regions are actively developing waste-free urban areas.
A key focus in Zhuhai City, located in southern China's Guangdong Province, is the proper disposal of kitchen waste to reach zero waste goals. A kitchen waste treatment facility was completed in early 2024 at Zhuhai Fushan Industrial Park. This facility can manage 500 tonnes of kitchen waste daily, extracting 8.25 tonnes of crude oil and generating roughly 29,000 kilowatt hours of green electricity, sufficient for about 2,900 households.
In Xinchang County, in eastern China's Zhejiang Province, kitchen waste is handled through biodegradation, where microorganisms decompose organic materials. Here, waste is divided into liquid and solid components. The purified liquid is repurposed for industrial use, while the solid waste is shredded and used to nurture the larvae of hermetia illucens, commonly known as black soldier fly. This process converts approximately 60 percent of the solid waste into adult insects for local fish farmers, with the remainder transformed into organic manure.
"According to the daily processing capacity of about 100 tonnes and the annual processing capacity of 38,000 tonnes, nearly 18 million yuan is generated through this method," stated Chen Kefeng, director of the county's construction bureau.
In the pursuit of better utilization of construction waste resources, southwest China's Chongqing Municipality has repurposed unusable building materials into bricks for sidewalks, promoting both economic efficiency and ecological sustainability.
Targeting government agencies, enterprises, and educational institutions, over 25,000 production and living units have been established to implement the "waste-free city" philosophy, fostering a gradual transition to a green and low-carbon lifestyle across schools, families, and the wider community.
It is anticipated that by 2027, the proportion of "waste-free cities" in China will reach 60 percent.
Sanya Singh for TROIB News
In 2019, 11 cities and five regions were chosen to pilot waste-free projects, focusing on minimizing solid waste generation at the source and enhancing recycling efforts. Currently, 113 cities and eight regions are actively developing waste-free urban areas.
A key focus in Zhuhai City, located in southern China's Guangdong Province, is the proper disposal of kitchen waste to reach zero waste goals. A kitchen waste treatment facility was completed in early 2024 at Zhuhai Fushan Industrial Park. This facility can manage 500 tonnes of kitchen waste daily, extracting 8.25 tonnes of crude oil and generating roughly 29,000 kilowatt hours of green electricity, sufficient for about 2,900 households.
In Xinchang County, in eastern China's Zhejiang Province, kitchen waste is handled through biodegradation, where microorganisms decompose organic materials. Here, waste is divided into liquid and solid components. The purified liquid is repurposed for industrial use, while the solid waste is shredded and used to nurture the larvae of hermetia illucens, commonly known as black soldier fly. This process converts approximately 60 percent of the solid waste into adult insects for local fish farmers, with the remainder transformed into organic manure.
"According to the daily processing capacity of about 100 tonnes and the annual processing capacity of 38,000 tonnes, nearly 18 million yuan is generated through this method," stated Chen Kefeng, director of the county's construction bureau.
In the pursuit of better utilization of construction waste resources, southwest China's Chongqing Municipality has repurposed unusable building materials into bricks for sidewalks, promoting both economic efficiency and ecological sustainability.
Targeting government agencies, enterprises, and educational institutions, over 25,000 production and living units have been established to implement the "waste-free city" philosophy, fostering a gradual transition to a green and low-carbon lifestyle across schools, families, and the wider community.
It is anticipated that by 2027, the proportion of "waste-free cities" in China will reach 60 percent.
Sanya Singh for TROIB News
