Cleaner highway in store for Tibet

A 420-kilometer section of highway that passes through the ecological lifeline of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau will get eight recycling centers this year in an effort to cut down on the trash and other waste that tourists leave behind on their journeys.

The service stations along the Qinghai-Tibet Highway will offer waste recycling, toilets, hot water, Wi-Fi access and power outlets. An investment of 3.6 million yuan ($556,000) has been made for infrastructure construction and basic operations.

"Waste along the highway has become a hidden danger for pollution of some water resources, and it damages the pasture landscape," said Yang Xin, head of the Sichuan Greenriver Environmental Protection Promotion Association, the NGO that is setting up the stations. "Moreover, animals such as sheep and yaks could die if they eat the plastic bags."