Lacking trash to burn: problem or progress?

缺火可燃之废:是问题还是进步?

Round Table China

2025-08-14

33 分钟
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单集简介 ...

China has a garbage problem, but not the one you might think. Overwhelmed landfills pushed cities to burn trash for energy, yet now some incinerators sit underfed. This unexpected shortage reveals surprising progress in waste reduction and recycling, forcing a rethink of how the nation handles its refuse. On the show: Heyang, Steve Hatherly & Fei Fei
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单集文稿 ...

  • Discussion keeps the world turning.

  • This is Roundtable.

  • China's got a garbage problem, but not the kind you might think.

  • Landfills are maxed out, so cities turn to burning trash.

  • Now the burners say they cannot get enough to keep the furnaces going.

  • How big is this burning issue?

  • We'll also explore some surprisingly promising steps China has taken in tackling its trash.

  • Coming to you live from Beijing, this is Roundtable.

  • I'm He Yang.

  • For today's program, I'm joined by Steve Hatherly and Faith.

  • Fei in the studio, first on today's show.

  • For the last two decades, China's waste incinerators were built to tackle overflowing landfills,

  • fueled by years of breakneck urban growth and mounting trash.

  • But now, many of these plants are running at less than 60% of their capacity.

  • Is this overcapacity?

  • issue, a sign that garbage management efforts are finally paying off,

  • or an expensive mismatch between planning and reality that could leave costly infrastructure underused.

  • Let's start with the reality check, so to speak, on the ground.

  • Many waste-to-energy incinerators aren't running at full capacity.

  • What do companies have to say about this?