Waste Management in Guangzhou, China

By Chen Ming April, 2015

Introduction

Guangzhou

Acreage: 7434 km², 11 districts

Population: 16.7 million

Climate: Located in the Pearl River Delta and bordering

the South Sea, Guangzhou features a pleasant

subtropical maritime-monsoon climate with warm

temperature and ample rainfall, sufficient sunshine and

heat, little temperature differences, long summer and

short frost periods, etc.

Key Issues of Waste Management

Solid Waste: 18 thousand tons per day, 14 thousand tons of which are treated

It could cover Dongfeng Road (l. 8.8 km x h. 60 cm).

Impact on Climate: Landfill could produce almost 50% methane and 50% carbon

dioxide; yet methane is nearly 72 times possible than carbon dioxide to cause global

warming.

Problems: 1. Infrastructure and supporting service

are lagging behind.

2. Not-In-My-Back-Yard:

public awareness is not strong enough.

Key Strategies

Institutionalization: Solid Waste Treatment Office, Public Consultation and

Supervision Committee, joint conference mechanism, etc.

Infrastructure: Transforming from landfill to incineration

Waste Incineration Power Plant (Likeng Plant No. 2)

Advanced technology: BOT (build-operate-transfer), with the capacity of 2000 tons per day

Huge investment: 20% of the total investment in is on environmental protection

Integrated Supervision: industrial, environmental, social and residents

Demonstration station: the whole treatment process is transparent

Publicity: Pamphlets, Posters, Videos, Demonstration

Encouragement: Environment-friendly Families

Campaigns: Communities, Schools, Families, Working Places

Raise Public Awareness

Key Strategies

Religion: advocate waste sorting among disciples

Key Strategies

Allocated over 210,000 containers, updated over 27,000 classified garbage cans, established 31 mini demonstration stations for kitchen garbage recycling and 1,700 community waste recovery stations, 20 large-scale garbage sorting centers and 39 hazardous garbage repositories, 73 lines of garbage transport, etc.

The incinerated garbage generated 170 million kilowatt-hours of power, equals to saving 60,000 tons of standard coal consumption or the emission reduction of 217,000 tons of carbon dioxide.

Remarkable progress in the sorting and recycling of garbage

Lessons & Implications

Lessons:

Public awareness and involvement

Industrial chain of waste management

Partnership: led by government, promoted by technology, engaged by society

Implications: How to guarantee the effectiveness of implementation

Best Practices to Share from the Guangzhou Award

The Guangzhou Award

The predominant challenge is seen as environmental issue.

Abu Dhabi: The Estidama Building Code in Action

Aim: To enhance sustainable construction methods in the Emirate

Approaches: A compulsory environmental rating system which should encourage rapid uptake of the system in the construction industry; an operational rating system taking account of the resource use during the building’s life cycle

Five stages: Site set-up and substructure, Superstructure and building envelop, Internal fit-out and services, Commissioning and documentation, Final site visit and sign off.

Melbourne: Thermal Imaging To Measure Temperature Reduction

Aim: To double the green canopy in the city to 40% as well as a raft of other green infrastructure initiatives such as expansion of green roofs, rain water harvesting, increasing surface permeability and hence to ultimately reduce the city’s temperature by 4 degrees centigrade by 2040.

Major challenges: 1) Financing, 2) community awareness, 3) regular Media campaigns and 4) participatory practice.

Solution: A 4-year public engagement program to raise awareness and a participatory approach to designing the strategy and implementing the activities on the ground.