China sets up rural waste recycling demo base

HANGZHOU - China has set up a national demonstration base for rural waste treatment and recycling in the eastern China province of Zhejiang to showcase the benefits of high-tech waste disposal.

The demo base uses the whole township of Lincheng for the program -- from garbage classification to bio-mass treatment.

The program is jointly sponsored by the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs. It is jointly built by research institutes of the Tongji and Zhejiang universities.

The township produces 3 to 5 tonnes of waste a day, which can be reduced to 800 kg after going through bio-mass disposal.

He Pinjing from the rural waste disposal technology research and training center of the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development said the base's disposal solution is cost-effective while realizing a zero pollution to air, water and soil.

Chen Minhua, Party chief of the bureau of agriculture and rural affairs of Changxing County, which administrates Lincheng township, said the waste disposal station was built with an investment of 900,000 yuan ($134,132), which can cover 21,000 people in six villages.

The second-phase construction is expected to begin in May with an investment of 2.1 million yuan, which is designed to cover 12 villages with a total population of 59,000, said Chen.

Curbing environmental pollution in rural areas has been a concern of China. According to the "No. 1 central document" released by central authorities in January, China will promote rural development and improve rural living environment and public services. The living environment in rural areas is expected to see remarkable improvement by 2020. To that end, authorities are committed to upgrading garbage and sewage treatment facilities to build a more beautiful countryside.