News on composting vs incineration

Phil Fredericks (pjf@nwark.com)
Thu, 31 Dec 1998 20:19:37 -0600

Thought everyone might be interested in this one.
Cheryl Fredericks
http://www.uark.edu/~ecti/

T O D A Y ' S N E W S A N D A N A L Y S I S...

Experts Recommend Trash Composting
Over Incineration

HANGZHOU (Dec. 31) XINHUA- Chinese
experts recommend composting as an effective
method for sorting organic elements and treating the
increasing volume of waste in urban areas.

The volume of trash in China's urban areas has
increased by between 8-10 percent annually in
recent years, with some 200 cities deluged with
mounting volumes of trash and garbage dumps
occupying over 500 million sq.m. nationwide.

Li Debao, a professor at the Zhejiang University
Biological Technology Institute, stresses that the
current urban practice of incinerating garbage for
power generation or simply for disposal should not
be followed blindly.

He said the use of existing incineration technology
requires substantial investments, but offers low
returns. For example, incinerators with a daily
handling capacity of a mere 500 tons cost 150
million yuan, a substantial outlay when considering
future operating costs represent a totally different
matter.

The lack of funding has forced a number of Chinese
cities to quit using incinerators, according to Li.

Burning trash produces toxic gases and creates
secondary pollution, according to Lin Fucheng, an
associate professor at Zhejiang University. He
emphasized that composting provides a viable
alternative for incineration.

"Composting is a comparatively advanced method
used internationally to treat garbage," according to
Lin. He noted composting turns organic elements in
garbage into bio-fertilizers which are free of toxic
residues and readily decomposable. Enditem

31/12/98 02:22 GMT

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