Trash is piling up in China, and the government says the best way to get rid of it is incineration https://t.co/Fsw0s5xiw3 pic.twitter.com/YbztSCBsBP

— NPR (@NPR) February 20, 2017

“…Trash is piling up in China — more than 520,000 tons a day. No other country on the planet produces more, and China’s government has concluded the best way to get rid of it is to burn it at incinerators like this one, the Gao’antun incinerator power plant run by the Chaoyang district of Beijing.

“Our emissions from burning the garbage are well below EU standards, and our technology is ahead of incinerators in the U.S.,” says Chen Hui, the plant’s chief engineer.

This incinerator was opened nine months ago. The heat from burning garbage at more than 1,000 degrees Celsius produces enough electricity to power more than 140,000 homes.

“Our biggest goal is to protect the environment,” says Chen. “This incinerator is funded, built and run by the government. We’re not driven by profit.”…”

But, there’s a rub…

“…”China has a few incinerators that burn garbage in a clean way, but they’re not the ones winning bids for most government projects,” says Tao Guangyuan, executive director of the Sino-German Renewable Energy Cooperation Center.

He’s worried about China’s pledge to burn 40 percent of its garbage by 2020, because most incinerators in China are operated by private companies.

“Whoever burns garbage the cheapest wins government contracts,” says Tao. “Some companies are willing to burn a ton of garbage for less than $4. When it’s that cheap, you’re definitely not burning it in a clean way.”…”