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Five percent of China’s Construction Waste Is Recycled

The amount of China’s municipal solid waste has reached 70 million tons; the total construction waste is estimated to be between 2.1 to 2.8 billion tons, with 300 million tons of new construction waste generated each year. However, according to Xinhua the disposal of construction waste is mainly temporary pilings and landfill. For example, the annual production of construction waste in Qingdao city’s urban district is as high as 10 million tons, 70% of which is used in reclamation, while 10% is dumped in landfills.

Xinhua said that only five percent of the country’s construction waste is recycled, with only a handful of companies in the business. The problem lies in the inadequate supervision of the disposal of the waste. Construction companies only clean up the waste from the site, while the transportation companies randomly dump or bury the waste nearby to lower their cost. The mechanism involved in waste collection, transportation, recycling, product quality supervision, and product promotion is yet to be put in place.

Source: Xinhua, October 18, 2011
http://news.xinhuanet.com/society/2011-10/18/c_111103536_3.htm