Construction of waste incineration plant halted

Public street protests were sparked when govt announced project was about to pass reviews

The mayor of Xiantao, Hubei province, said construction of a household waste incinerator, which had triggered protests from many residents, would be canceled.

Residents had taken to the streets since Saturday to protest the plant over concerns about hazardous emissions.

Confronting the complaints, Mayor Zhou Wenxia announced the decision to close the incinerator in a video clip uploaded at 2 am on Monday.

Wang Le, an official from the government's publicity department, said on Monday that there have been no more protests since the announcement.

Construction of the plant, located in Zhengrenkou village, started in June 2014 with completion slated for the end of this year.

However, news on Saturday that the plant was about to pass experts' assessments spread quickly online, triggering complaints from residents, who had not received any information previously.

"I support better ways to deal with the increasing household waste, but I'm strongly against the incineration plant because it is located too close to residential communities," said Luo Liping, who works in Wuhan but frequently returns to her hometown and is considering selling her apartment in Xiantao due to the potential pollution.

"The city cannot hide necessary information about the project before construction is complete. They should listen to the affected residents' opinions," the 35-year-old said. "Without sufficient communication, the project, which is supposed to solve the waste problem, would become a thorny problem for the government and the residents, triggering conflicts."

Liu Xingbing, head of the city's urban management bureau, said in a release on Saturday that the plant was urgently needed to deal with waste, since the area's only landfill will be full within three years.

The city government added that the plant would be equipped with advanced technology that would meet the strictest emissions standards set by the European Union.

Public complaints against incineration plants have not been rare in China in recent years, and many have led to project shutting down, said Xue Tao, deputy head of the Institute of E20, an environment platform, and Environmental Sciences and Engineering College of Peking University.

"It may trigger residents in other cities to follow suit," he said.

The root problems of large public complaints lie in insufficient communication between the government and the public, the lack of monitoring from authorities and access to emission data for the public, he added.

Xue suggested that the government conduct stricter monitoring and allow residents to take part in the supervision from the beginning of projects. An inclusive approach will build public confidence, Xue said.

In addition, the companies running incineration plants should reduce emissions to ease concerns from the public, Xue said.

Zhou Lihua in Wuhan, Hubei contributed to this story.