Solid Waste Disposal Project in Guangzhou

The Solid Waste Disposal Project in Guangzhou aims to improve the city’s waste management system. Offering more efficient treatment and wider service coverage, the project is designed to effectively reduce adverse environmental impacts while promoting economic efficiency. Promulgated by the government, waste classification policies in Guangzhou have gained significant progresses so far, with classified kitchen waste (food and beverage industry) and resource recovery increasing to 1,000 tons/day and 7,500 tons/day respectively. 

Domestic waste is primarily disposed in two landfill sites: Xingfeng Landfill Site (since 2002) and Xingfeng Emergency Landfill Site (since 2018, 10,000 tons/day). Since 2018, a subproject on biogas treatment has been launched with an average biogas production of 26,280,000 Nm3/a, of which 52-55% is methane.

What is the project?

The landfill project covers an area of 917,000 square meters, with a design capacity of 38 million cubic meters. Its waste disposal can be as high as 10,000 tons/day, with a filling height of over 90 meters. Currently, this landfill is one of the largest landfills for domestic waste in China. A waste-to-energy plant project is the most difficult considering its construction, and the first case in China was built near a high fill slope with a height of 60 meters.

What are the CO2 reduction goals?

Firstly, being part of public infrastructures, Guangzhou’s solid waste disposal project helps urban economic development by making full use of waste generated in the city. Secondly, apart from dealing with waste, a reasonable profit is made through biogas power generation, thus reducing waste disposal costs and helping to realize cost recovery.

Guangzhou's waste initiative is not a stand-alone initiative. It goes hand-in-hand with other initiatives on air quality control, public transport (electric buses), land-use planning and green space as part of an emerging systems approach to sustainable urban development. Such an approach is necessary as focusing on any one sector to the detriment of others would be counter-productive in the final analysis.

With the rapid development of China's economy and the rapid growth of urban population, the problems of solid waste faced by cities are becoming more and more serious. According to relevant surveys, one third of China's cities are facing the dilemma of “Waste Siege”. Untreated waste is one of the main sources of environmental pollution, which will directly affect people's health and living environment. 

The Third Resource Thermal Power Station is equipped with 6 independently developed incinerators. The plant has a daily disposal capacity is 4,000 tons of waste, and the annual power generation is 5.28 million KWh. This project has contributed to the zero-buried solid waste in Guangzhou, progressing towards the three goals of ‘harmlessness’,‘minimization’and ‘recovery’.

This initiative, together with previously mentioned initiatives on air quality and public transport is designed to maximize social benefits for all of Guangzhou's inhabitants. This is also the only way forward, namely to “leave no one behind” and to ensure that social, economic and environmental benefits are equally shared by all.

Guangzhou is dedicated to offering environmental education for everyone in society and has welcomed more than 60,000 visitors. This will aid the public to acknowledge waste disposal, promote a green lifestyle and to develop the city in a sustainable manner.

Next Steps

There are 6 districts in center areas of Guangzhou and 4 districts in suburban areas. Those suburban areas are currently learning from the central city, and have begun constructing their own landfills and conducting incineration projects for solid waste disposal.