An investigation of the 490 landfill sites in Beijing has found that 980,000 tons of consumer waste are not properly disposed every year before they are buried. It also discovered that 126 sites display a high risk of environmental pollution, while 105 sites display a medium-level risk.

Despite great progress in garbage treatment, there is still a long way to go before the capital can ensure that 100 per cent of its rubbish is disposed of harmlessly.

The monitoring of 14 landfills has found that the groundwater in their vicinity has been polluted to different degrees and that groundwater in their lower reaches is even more badly contaminated. At these sites, domestic waste is either piled there in the open or just buried without any measures taken to prevent pollution.

Such an investigation is a warning to the capital that more efforts in terms of capital input, advanced facilities and management are still needed to ensure a higher rate of harmless disposal.

How the consumer waste produced by a population in excess of 13 million is disposed of has a bearing on the safe life of its residents and the sustainable development of the city.

Water deficiency has haunted the city for years. The widening of roads and the mushrooming of office buildings in the downtown area have already reduced the chances of its dwindling ground water being supplemented by rainwater.

The vast stretch of farmland in the suburban area becomes even more important to maintain an ecological balance. But most of the landfills are scattered in suburban areas. If people cannot improve their condition and make sure they do not contaminate the underground water in their vicinity, the environment of the entire city will be seriously affected.

Beijing spend 460 million yuan (US$57 million) every year to dispose of its waste, far from enough to ensure that it is all properly dealt with. Apart from more investment, the classification of trash needs to be pushed throughout the city and a mechanism also needs to be established to encourage non-State enterprises get involved to turn the trade into an industry.

Attention from the municipal government will help solve all of these problems. People should never let other projects that may bring economic benefits outweigh the importance of this issue.

People produce 150 million tons of consumer waste a year nationwide, and people have accumulated 6 billion tons of waste in the past few decades that remains to be disposed of in an environmentally friendly manner. More small and medium-size cities will spring up in the coming years with the accelerated pace of urbanization.

In these circumstances, it is of vital importance for Beijing to set a good example in this regard. People cannot afford to wait until our cities are swamped in waste.

(China Daily July 25, 2006)